Supreme Court quashes criminal case against Elvish Yadav in snake venom probe

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday set aside criminal proceedings against YouTuber and reality show winner Elvish Yadav in a case linked to the alleged use of snake venom at rave parties in Noida and the National Capital Region.

A Bench comprising Justices M. M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh allowed Yadav’s petition and quashed the case, overturning an earlier order of the Allahabad High Court, which had declined to interfere at the pre-trial stage.

The case originated from a First Information Report registered in November 2023 at a police station in Noida, following a complaint by the animal rights group People for Animals. The complaint alleged that snake venom was procured and used at parties in the NCR.

The apex court, however, limited its examination to specific legal questions rather than the factual allegations. It considered whether provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Wildlife Protection Act had been correctly invoked.

On the NDPS Act, the court held that the substance allegedly recovered from a co-accused did not fall within the list of notified psychotropic substances under the law. It also noted that no recovery had been made from Yadav himself and that the allegations against him were limited to claims of placing orders through an associate.

With regard to the Wildlife Protection Act, the court pointed out that prosecution under the relevant provision requires a complaint to be filed by an authorised official. In this case, the complaint had been filed by an individual linked to an animal welfare organisation, which did not meet the statutory requirement.

On these grounds, the court ruled that the proceedings, in their current form, were not legally sustainable.

At the same time, the Bench clarified that its decision should not be interpreted as a clean chit. It stated that the merits of the allegations had not been examined and granted liberty to the competent authorities to initiate fresh proceedings in accordance with the law.

The ruling brings temporary relief to Yadav, though it leaves open the possibility of further legal action if procedural requirements are properly followed.

With IANS inputs