Big Relief For Big Boss Winner Elvish Yadav As SC Quashes Proceedings

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the FIR and all subsequent proceedings against Elvish Yadav under the Wildlife (Protection) Act - finding that the case, registered by Uttar Pradesh Police in November 2023, was unsustainable on multiple legal grounds.

Why the Supreme Court Threw Out the Case

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh dismantled the prosecution's case on three distinct fronts.

First, the wildlife complaint at the heart of the FIR was filed by an individual who was not an authorised person under the Wildlife (Protection) Act - a procedural flaw the court found fatal to the case. Though the informant presented himself as an animal welfare officer at the time of filing, he no longer held that position.

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Second, the IPC offences invoked against Yadav were traced back to an earlier FIR registered in Gurugram - a case in which a closure report had already been filed, effectively rendering those charges redundant.

Third, and perhaps most critically, the court found that provisions of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act could not be applied, as the liquid substance recovered from a co-accused - identified as anti-venom - did not qualify as a prescribed substance under the relevant schedule.

Taken together, the bench concluded that the case against Yadav could not be sustained in law, quashing not only the FIR but also the chargesheet and the trial court's cognisance order.

From Rave Party Allegations to National Headlines

The case had its origins in a dramatic set of allegations. Elvish Yadav was accused of facilitating the use of snake venom as a recreational drug at rave parties in Noida, Uttar Pradesh - a claim that captured widespread public attention given his celebrity status.

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The FIR was registered on 22 November 2023. Yadav was subsequently arrested on 17 March 2024. The chargesheet alleged that snake venom had been consumed as an intoxicant at these gatherings, with attendees said to include foreign nationals.

Given Yadav's stature as a well-known influencer who appears across multiple television reality shows, his legal troubles attracted, in the words of his own counsel, "much media attention."

Allahabad High Court Had Refused Relief

Before approaching the Supreme Court, Yadav had challenged the chargesheet and the trial court's cognisance order before the Allahabad High Court, which declined to quash the proceedings - characterising the allegations as a serious offence.

That refusal prompted Yadav to escalate the matter to the apex court, which on 6 August last year stayed the trial court proceedings. Thursday's ruling goes considerably further, wiping the slate clean entirely.

Defence Arguments That Swayed the Court

Elvish Yadav 's legal team had consistently maintained that the prosecution's case was built on shaky foundations. Counsel argued before the High Court that no snakes, narcotics or psychotropic substances were ever recovered from Yadav himself, and that no credible causal link had been established between him and the co-accused.

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The Supreme Court's findings broadly validated that line of argument, accepting that the legal provisions invoked against him were either improperly applied or factually unsupported.

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