Snake Venom Case: Supreme Court Quashes FIR Against YouTuber Elvish Yadav

The bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh found multiple legal infirmities in the case, including the absence of a complaint by an authorised person under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The Court observed that proceedings under the Wildlife (Protection) Act could not be initiated in the present case as the complaint was not filed by a competent authority, rendering the prosecution invalid at the threshold.

It further noted that the offences invoked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were premised on an earlier FIR registered in Gurugram, in which a closure report had already been filed. As such, the continuation of proceedings on that basis was unsustainable.

Addressing the applicability of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the Bench held that the provisions of the NDPS Act could not be attracted since the substance allegedly recovered, described as anti-venom, did not fall within the list of prohibited or scheduled substances under the statute.

In light of these findings and relying on settled legal principles, the Court quashed not only the FIR but also all consequential proceedings, including the chargesheet and the trial court’s cognisance order.

The case dates back to November 22, 2023, when an FIR was registered against Yadav in connection with allegations of use of snake venom at a rave party in Noida. He was subsequently arrested on March 17, 2024. Yadav had challenged an order of the Allahabad High Court, which had refused to quash the chargesheet and cognisance order, observing that the allegations disclosed a serious offence.

In August 2025, the court had stayed the trial court proceedings initiated against Yadav.

The prosecution’s case was that snake venom was being used as a recreational drug at rave parties, allegedly involving both Indian and foreign nationals. However, Yadav’s counsel argued that no snakes, narcotic substances, or psychotropic materials were recovered from him, and that there was no direct link between him and the co-accused.

It was also contended that the informant had filed the complaint under the guise of being an animal welfare officer, despite no longer holding that position, raising serious questions about the maintainability of the case under the Wildlife Protection law.

Highlighting these inconsistencies, the Supreme Court ultimately held that the continuation of criminal proceedings would amount to an abuse of process of law.

The Allahabad High Court recently had dismissed a petition by the social media influencer Yadav seeking to quash criminal proceedings against him. Yadav had moved the court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), challenging the charge-sheet filed on April 5, 2024, the subsequent summoning order dated April 8, 2024, and the entire criminal proceedings in Case Crime No. 461 of 2023. The case, which began with an FIR registered at Sector-49 Police Station in Noida, accuses Yadav and others of violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, IPC, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Case Title: Elvish Yadav v. State of Uttar Pradesh

Bench: Justices MM Sundresh and NK Singh

Hearing Date: March 19, 2026