Snake venom case: Supreme Court halts trial court proceedings against Elvish Yadav
In his plea filed before the Top court through Advocate Shahrukh Ali, Advocate Raman Yadav and Advocate Aman Jha, Elvish Yadav has argued that and cognisance of the offence under the Wildlife Protection act has been taken without a complaint filed by a competent officer, adding that police have no authority to investigate offences under the WPA or to file a chargesheet in relation with it.As there is no legally admissible complaint against the petitioner, the disclosure statement alone cannot form the basis for prosecution, the court observed.Yadav has argued that at the time of the registration of FIR, he was not present at the venue, and no recovery-whether of snakes, venom, or narcotics-has been made from or in connection with him.The plea also claims that the High Court had dismissed the petition for quashing merely on the ground that graver offences were added in the chargesheet, without examining whether the essential ingredients of the alleged offences were made out against him.THE CASE AGAINST ELVISH YADAVThe case dates back to a complaint lodged in November 2023 by members of the NGO People For Animals, who accused Elvish Yadav of organising rave parties where snake venom was used as a recreational intoxicant. In a subsequent police raid at a banquet hall in Noida, nine snakes (including cobras and kraits) and around 20ml of snake venom were seized.Yadav was arrested on March 17, 2024, based on the FIR filed under several sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, sections 284 and 289 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section120A (criminal conspiracy), and multiple provisions of the NDPS Act.He was remanded for 14 days but released on bail shortly after. The chargesheet filed in April 2024 spanned over 1,200 pages and included allegations of exotic snake smuggling, the involvement of foreign nationals in consuming venom, and links to rave events.With the Supreme Court's stay in place, all proceedings before the trial court are paused for now. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on August 29, when responses are sought from the state and the complainant.- EndsTrending Reel
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