The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings against popular YouTuber and Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav, who had been accused of using and distributing "snake venom" in alleged violation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code in November 2023.
He was earlier arrested in April 2024 by Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the alleged recovery of "snake venom", which authorities claimed was a prohibited substance under the NDPS Act and was allegedly used by Yadav and his accomplices at rave parties in the Delhi-NCR region.
A bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh set aside the FIR and all connected proceedings, holding that the substance identified as "snake venom" did not fall within the ambit of Section 23(2) of the NDPS Act.
The apex court also ruled that no offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act was made out, noting that the law requires a complaint to be filed by a designated authority before a court can take cognisance of such offences — a procedure that was not followed in this case.
Further, the bench accepted submissions by senior advocate Mukta Gupta, appearing for Yadav, that the IPC charges could not be sustained, as they were based on a separate FIR registered in Gurgaon, Haryana, against other individuals, which had already been closed due to lack of evidence.
The court passed the order while allowing Yadav's appeal against a decision of Allahabad High Court, which had earlier refused to quash the FIR and chargesheet and had directed him to face trial. The official order, however, was not uploaded as of Thursday.
In a video posted on X, Yadav said he was "very happy from within" after the apex court dismissed the case. However, he raised questions over the impact of the alleged harassment.
"I have just one question — who will compensate for the harassment that my family and I faced? Will anyone apologise for the false narratives and the turmoil created?" he said.