YouTuber Elvish Yadav gets bail in drugs case, to be taken to Gurugram from Noida jail on Saturday
Noida, Mar 22: A Gautam Buddh Nagar court granted bail to controversial YouTuber Siddharth Yadav alias Elvish Yadav in a drugs case on Friday, six days after he was lodged in a jail here, his lawyers said.
The jail authorities said they have received Yadav's release order but he would be handed over on Saturday to the custody of a court in Haryana's Gurugram, where he is to be produced in an assault case involving content creator Sagar Thakur alias Maxtern.
The hearing in the Gurguram court is scheduled for March 27.
Yadav was arrested on March 17 by the Noida Police in connection with its probe into suspected use of snake venom as a recreational drug in parties he hosted.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Jaihind Kumar Singh also granted bail to two of the YouTuber's associates -- Ishwar and Vinay Yadav -- who were arrested on Thursday, advocate Prashant Rathi said.
"The court has granted bail to Yadav, who will have to furnish two bail bonds of Rs 50,000 each," the lawyer who represented the YouTuber in the court along with advocate Deepak Bhati, said.
The controversial 26-year-old YouTuber, also the winner of reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2, has been booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Wildlife Protection Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC), police said.
Luksar Jail Superintendent Arun Pratap Singh said the court's release order for Yadav has been received by the prison authorities.
"We have also received a production warrant for Elvish Yadav in a Gurugram court. He will not be released from Luksar Jail but will be sent to the court. Whether to release him or keep him in jail will be decided by the Gurugram court," Singh told PTI.
He said Yadav would be taken to Gurugram, his home city, by the Luksar Jail authorities on Saturday.
Yadav was among the six people named in an FIR lodged at Noida's Sector 49 police station on November 3 last year on a complaint from a representative of animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA). The five other accused, all snake charmers, were arrested in November but are currently out on bail, officials said.
The case was lodged under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act and IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 284 (negligent conduct related to poison that endangers human safety) and 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals).
Charges under the NDPS Act have also been added to the FIR, police said.
The five snake charmers were arrested from a banquet hall in Noida Sector 51 on November 3 last year and nine snakes, including five cobras, rescued from their possession, while 20 ml of suspected snake venom was also seized.
However, police had said Yadav was not present at the banquet hall and they were probing his role in the case that allegedly involved the use of snake venom as a recreational drug.
PFA chairperson and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi has accused Yadav of involvement in illegally selling snake venom.
On November 4 last year, Yadav was briefly stopped for questioning by police in Rajasthan's Kota while he was travelling with his friends in a car but was let off.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
HC says ‘Shaadi Ke Director–Karan Aur Johar’ title violates filmmaker’s rights, upholds stay on film
Mumbai, May 7 (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Wednesday upheld the stay on the release of a movie, tentatively titled ‘Shaadi Ke Director Karan Aur Johar’ or ‘Shaadi Ke Director Karan Johar’, saying the name infringes upon filmmaker Karan Johar’s personality and publicity rights.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M S Karnik said Johar has garnered “immense goodwill and reputation” in the entertainment industry in India and globally.
The court dismissed the appeal filed by one Sanjay Singh, maker of the movie, challenging a March order passed by a single bench of HC granting a stay on the film’s release.
The single bench had passed the order on a plea filed by Johar against the movie and its title.
Johar’s name has obtained a brand value, the court said on Wednesday. 'Karan' and 'Johar', when used together (in a title), point to the celebrity and filmmaker Karan Johar, it said.
HC said since Karan Johar's name has become his brand name, the director has the economic right to commercially exploit the same as per his discretion.
“The name ‘Karan Johar’ is solely associated with the respondent No 1 (Karan Johar) and forms a germane part of his personality and brand name,” the court said in its order.
The high court said that the courts in India have time and again recognised personality rights and publicity rights of public figures, including celebrities.
“The respondent (Johar) being a celebrity is entitled to the protection of his personality and publicity rights and can claim protection against unauthorised commercial exploitation by third parties,” the court said.
The high court also refused to accept the submission of the plaintiff Sanjay Singh that they were willing to add the word “aur” (and) between the names ‘Karan’ and ‘Johar’ in the movie title. In its opinion, the court said, the use of the two names in any combination was sufficient to create confusion in the minds of the public.
“The appellant (Singh) cannot be allowed to exploit the reputation and goodwill of the respondent (Johar) in this manner,” the HC added.
