The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed proceedings in the trial court against YouTuber Elvish Yadav in the snake venom case.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant Gaurav Gupta on the plea filed by Yadav challenging the chargesheet and criminal proceedings against him in the case.
The top court was hearing an appeal filed by Yadav against an order of the Allahabad High Court which dismissed his plea.
The chargesheet alleges consumption of snake venom as a recreational drug at “rave” parties by people, including foreigners.
Yadav was arrested in March last year by Noida police in connection with the case.
Yadav’s counsel had argued in the high court that no snakes, narcotic or psychotropic substances were recovered from him aside from the fact that no causal link was established between the applicant and the co-accused.
Though the informant was no longer an Animal Welfare Officer, he filed the FIR showing himself to be one, the counsel had added.
Calling Yadav a “well-known influencer” and someone who appears in multiple reality shows on television, the counsel had said his involvement in the FIR garnered “much media attention”.
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Delhi: Spike in illegal arms cases raises alarm in north-east district
Delhi Crime: On July 15, a resident of North East Delhi’s Kardampuri area flaunted his country-made pistol, popularly known as a desi katta, on social media in an audacious display of bravado. The police swiftly tracked him down after the video went viral. Acting on a tip-off, they laid an elaborate trap and arrested the accused, identified as 23-year-old Salman, who has been booked under the Arms Act at Jyoti Nagar Police Station.
In another incident, Nand Nagri Police Station received a case from Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital after a man was shot. The victim, 30-year-old Vinay, told the police that 46-year-old Sameer Sharma opened fire on him after Vinay’s rickshaw touched Sharma’s car. Sharma was arrested along with a female accomplice and booked under the Arms Act.
Also read: Illegal construction surges on Yamuna floodplains despite court orders
Rising violations of the Arms Act
According to Delhi Police data, gunrunning across Delhi’s borders with Uttar Pradesh has contributed to the worrying trend. Between January 1 and March 31, 2025, 1,049 cases were registered under the Arms Act, compared to 957 during the same period in 2024.
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