The Supreme Courtroom on Thursday quashed the prison proceedings towards YouTuber Elvish Yadav in a case alleging use of snake venom in video shoots and involvement in rave events the place medication had been consumed, holding that the FIR couldn’t be sustained in legislation on the restricted authorized points examined.
A Bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh clarified that it was confining its consideration to 2 particular questions: the applicability of Part 2(23) of the Narcotic Medication and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and the validity of proceedings underneath Part 55 of the Wildlife (Safety) Act, 1972.
On the NDPS side, the Courtroom recorded the submission of Senior Advocate Mukta Gupta that the alleged psychotropic substance (snake venom antidote) recovered from a co-accused didn’t fall inside the Schedule of the NDPS Act. The Bench famous that, admittedly, the substance in query was not lined underneath the statutory schedule. It additionally took word of the argument that no restoration had been produced from Yadav himself, with the cost sheet solely alleging that he positioned orders by an affiliate.
In gentle of this, the Courtroom discovered that the invocation of the NDPS Act was not legally sustainable on the details introduced.
Turning to the second challenge in regards to the Wildlife Safety Act, the Bench noticed that Part 55 mandates that prosecution will be initiated solely by a grievance filed by a duly authorised officer. The grievance that led to registration of the current FIR was filed by one Gaurav Gupta, related to an animal welfare organisation referred to as Individuals For Animals (PFA).
Referring to settled precedent on the purpose, the Courtroom held that the FIR, in its current kind, was not maintainable because it was not filed by a reliable authority. The Courtroom additionally expressed doubts on the complainant’s bona fides.
The Courtroom additionally recorded the submission that offences underneath the Indian Penal Code weren’t independently made out, as they had been a part of an earlier grievance that had already been closed.
Concluding that the FIR couldn’t stand scrutiny on these authorized grounds, the bench ordered that the proceedings be quashed. Nonetheless, it clarified that it had not examined the underlying allegations on deserves.
Notably, the Courtroom granted liberty to the competent authority to provoke acceptable proceedings in accordance with legislation, together with by submitting a correct grievance underneath Part 55 of the Wildlife Safety Act. “We aren’t going to offer a clear chit to this individual. If he has dedicated one thing it needs to be achieved“, Justice Sundresh remarked.
The Courtroom was listening to Yadav’s plea difficult the Allahabad Excessive Courtroom’s order dated Could 12, 2025, which had dismissed his petition towards the chargesheet and summoning order issued in a case underneath numerous provisions of the Wildlife Safety Act, IPC, and NDPS Act.
On August 6, 2025 the Courtroom granted keep on trial courtroom proceedings towards Yadav in a case alleging that he misused snakes and snake venom for a YouTube video and was concerned in organising rave events the place foreigners allegedly provided snake venom and different intoxicating medication.
Final month, the Courtroom mentioned it might study whether or not there was enough materials to implicate him underneath the Wildlife Safety Act, remarking that it offers a really dangerous message {that a} widespread individual used a unvoiced snake for publicity.
AAG Apoorva Agarwal appeared for the State of UP.
Case no. – SLP(Crl) No. 11480/2025
Case Title – Elvish Yadav @ Siddharth v. State of UP and Anr.
