Popular YouTuber and influencer Elvish Yadav has approached the Allahabad High Court challenging the chargesheet and summons issued against him in a case related to alleged misuse of snakes and snake venom for making videos. The allegations also involve organizing rave parties where foreign nationals were reportedly invited to make people consume snake venom and other intoxicating substances.
The informant in the case claimed that after receiving certain information, he contacted Elvish Yadav. Elvish allegedly connected him with a person named Rahul, who agreed to arrange a rave party for the informant.
A chargesheet has been filed against Elvish Yadav under multiple sections, including Sections 9, 39, 48A, 49, 50, and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. He also faces charges under Sections 284, 289, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 8, 22, 29, 30, and 32 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The case is registered at PS- Sector-49 Noida, District Gautam Buddha Nagar. Additionally, a summoning order was issued by the First Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Elvish Yadav has challenged these proceedings on several grounds. He argued that the informant was not a competent authority to file an FIR under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Furthermore, he pointed out that no snakes, narcotic substances, or psychotropic materials were recovered from him.
Highlighting the lack of evidence, it was stated:
“No causal link has been established between the applicant and other co-accused.”
Elvish further submitted that although the informant filed the complaint as an Animal Welfare Officer, he was no longer holding that position at the time of filing the FIR.
The petition emphasized the impact of media attention on the case, stating:
“It is a well-known fact that the Applicant is an influencer and appears in multiple reality shows on television. Inevitably, the applicant's involvement in the instant F.I.R. garnered much media attention. Consequently, influenced by the aforesaid attention, the police officials also attempted to further sensitize the matter by invoking Sections 27 and 27A NDPS Act immediately after arresting the Applicant. However, the police officials failed to substantiate the additional charges and thereby, the same were dropped.”
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Additionally, Elvish Yadav argued that the allegations against him are vague, frivolous, and without proper connection to the other accused persons.
Elvish Yadav is being represented in court by advocates Nipun Singh and Naman Agarwal.
