Punjab and Haryana High Court orders police protection for activist who filed complaint against Elvish Yadav

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that police protection be extended to the animal rights activist who filed criminal complaints against Elvish Yadav over the illegal use of snakes by the YouTuber. .Animal rights activist Saurabh Gupta and his brother (petitioners) had approached the High Court seeking police protection on allegations that they received threatening calls after the criminal case was filed. Yadav reportedly stands accused of illegally using prohibited species of snakes in videos and supplying snake venom as a recreational drug at rave parties. The Gurugram police had booked Yadav for the alleged illegal use of snakes in videos, days after a court in Uttar Pradesh granted him bail in the snake venom drug case. .On April 18, Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the Commissioner of Police at Gurgaon to ensure that security arrangements are made for the complainants when they appear before the trial court in connection with the Gurugram case. "As regards, the complaint instituted by the petitioners under Section 156(3) at Gurgaon, which has culminated in an FIR, the Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon is directed to provide adequate security to the petitioners whenever they are required to appear before the appropriate Court at Gurgaon," the Court ordered. .The Court added that the petitioners may approach the courts in Uttar Pradesh with respect to the threats they faced in connection with the snake venom drugs case."A perusal of the record would reveal that the allegations primarily pertain to the issuance of threats etc., in the State of U.P. Therefore, the petitioners are at liberty to approach the appropriate Court at U.P. for the redressal of any grievance that they may have," the Court said.With these observations, the Court disposed of the plea..Last year, following a complaint lodged by People For Animals (PFA), the Noida Police reportedly conducted a raid on a banquet hall situated in Sector 51 and apprehended five individuals.In the first information report (FIR), Elvish Yadav was accused of orchestrating rave parties where foreigners were invited and partook in snake venom as a recreational drug.He and others co-accused in the case were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code.Last month, a court in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh granted bail to Yadav in this case. Thereafter, he was booked by the Gurugram police as well over the alleged illegal use of snakes in videos..Advocate AS Shera appeared for the petitioners before the High Court. Assistant AG Kanwar Sanjiv Kumar appeared for the Haryana government, and advocate Manish Son appeared for another respondent. .[Read Order]