The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Union government and the state administrations of Maharashtra and Haryana on a petition filed by stand-up comedian Pranit More, who is seeking to consolidate multiple First Information Reports registered against him over a controversial remark made during a live show in Gurugram.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana issued the notice on Monday following submissions by More’s legal counsel.
More’s advocate informed the bench that the comedian was prepared to stand trial but requested that the case filed against him in Gurugram be combined with the one registered in Mumbai. Counsel submitted that More had already issued apologies across various public platforms, including before the National Commission for Women, and acknowledged the gravity of the matter.
The court was further told that More had only served as the host of the event and had taken down the video recording prior to the registration of any police complaint once he realized the seriousness of the issue. The defense submitted that the clip had been uploaded by More’s public relations team without his authorization while he was traveling.
Origins Of The Controversy
The dispute stems from a performance during which an audience member, web developer Himanshu Jangra, narrated an incident involving a date on which he spent 370 rupees on a plate of chicken biryani. Jangra claimed that when the woman requested that he drive her home, he demanded sexual favors in return for the money he had spent on the food. Video clips from the show captured More laughing at the remark.
The exchange triggered widespread condemnation across social media platforms after the clip circulated online. Users characterized the comments as derogatory and offensive toward women, while also criticizing More for laughing instead of voicing an objection during the performance.
Fallout And Apologies
In the wake of the public backlash, both More and Jangra issued formal apologies, with Jangra subsequently deactivating his Instagram account.
The incident also resulted in immediate professional consequences for Jangra. His employer, the Gurugram-based agency Starvik Design, terminated his services following the controversy. Starvik Design founder Vivek Vishwakarma confirmed the dismissal in a video statement posted on the social media platform X.
