Supreme Court seeks replies from Maharashtra, Haryana on Pranit More's plea to club FIRs

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the States of Maharashtra and Haryana, as well as from the Union government, on a plea by stand-up comedian Pranit More seeking to club the multiple FIRs registered against him in connection with the '₹370 biriyani' controversy.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued the notice.

Appearing for Mr. More, advocate Vidula Mehrotra told the court that the row had erupted after misogynistic remarks were made by a member of the audience during one of his shows. She submitted that her client was only the host of the event, and that he had rendered a public apology over the incident.

The counsel further submitted that the comedian's public relations team had published the video without consulting him, that he had been travelling at the time, and that he had already taken the video down.

"I understand the gravity. I am ready to face trial. I deleted the video," the counsel submitted before the Bench.

The Maharashtra Cyber Police had registered an FIR against Mr. More, the audience member Himanshu Jangra, and a third person under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.

The comedian was also summoned by the National Commission for Women, which took cognisance of the viral video. The clip had drawn widespread public outrage over remarks that appeared to glorify coercive behaviour towards women, and over the host's alleged reaction of laughing at the comments.

Separately, an advocate has filed a petition in connection with the controversy over Mr. More's show, which was held in Gurugram. That plea seeks the formulation of a comprehensive regulatory framework for stand-up comedy, podcasts, social media platforms and AI-generated content.