Allahabad HC junks Elvish Yadav plea against charge sheet

The allegations against him also include organising rave parties and calling foreigners who make people consume snake venom and other intoxicating drugs

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on Monday dismissed YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s petition against the charge sheet filed against him for alleged misuse of snakes and snake venoms to make YouTube videos.

Justice Saurabh Srivastava dismissed his petition after orally observing that there are statements in the charge sheet and in the first information report (FIR) against Yadav and that veracity of such allegations will be tested during the trial. (HT archives)

The allegations against him also include organising rave parties and calling foreigners who make people consume snake venom and other intoxicating drugs.

Justice Saurabh Srivastava dismissed his petition after orally observing that there are statements in the charge sheet and in the first information report (FIR) against Yadav and that veracity of such allegations will be tested during the trial.

The court also noted that Yadav had not challenged the FIR in the petition.

Yadav’s counsel senior advocate Navin Sinha argued that the person, who filed the FIR against Yadav, was not competent to file the same under the Wildlife Act. He also contended that neither Yadav was present in the party nor anything was recovered from him.

On the other hand, the additional advocate general Manish Goyal submitted that it has come during the investigation that Yadav supplied the snakes to the people from whom recovery was made.

After hearing both sides, the court dismissed Yadav’s petition, effectively leaving it for the trial court to look into the allegations.

At present, a charge sheet has been filed in the FIR lodged against Yadav under various sections of Wildlife Protection Act and Indian Penal Code and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act under the police station Sector 49, Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar district.

Subsequently, a summoning order was issued by the (first) additional chief judicial magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar.

In Yadav’s present petition, it was pleaded that no causal link has been established between the applicant and other co-accused. He also pleaded that though the informant is no longer an animal welfare officer, he has filed the FIR showing himself to be one.