Raghu Ram on his appearance on India's Got Latent amid ongoing controversy: 'I do not regret being a part of IGL but...'

Raghu Ram took to Instagram and shared his views on him appearing on the show and "not regretting being a part of IGL."

Actor and reality show judge had made a guest appearance on Samay Raina's show India's Got Latent, just weeks before the latter deleted all episodes of the show. He has now appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber Department amid a probe into podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial remarks Samay Raina's show India's Got Latent.

According to sources cited by NDTV, Raghu Ram, who appeared as a guest judge on one of the episodes, allegedly informed the cyber cell on Thursday that Samay should have taken responsibility for editing out the offensive language used on the show. He also admitted to regretting his own use of abusive language during the episode.

As per the same sources, Raghu Ram explained that he got carried away in the moment and unintentionally used expletives, emphasizing that he never intended to offend anyone. He is among at least 50 individuals summoned to provide their statements in the ongoing investigation.

Raghu Ram took to Instagram and shared his views on him appearing on the show and "not regretting being a part of IGL." The post read, "I do not regret being a part of IGL. I wish the show had not included some jokes that caused such hurt. Sensibilities of a paying audience in a show can differ from a larger youtube audience. I might have kept some jokes out of the episode, but I am nobody to tell Samay or the makers what jokes to keep and which, if any, words to beep. It is their call, and I'm sure they don't take that responsibility lightly."

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A post shared by Raghu Ram (@instaraghu)

The post continued, "Freedom of speech is meaningless without the freedom to offend. Offence is often taken even when none is intended. But of course, I am sorry if I have actually caused hurt to anyone. Comedians push boundaries, call out to society and speak truth to power while entertaining. But no comedian sets out to hurt sentiments. And they would be the first to apologise if they did."

The controversy stems from remarks made by Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as "BeerBiceps," on the now-deleted episode of India's Got Latent, which featured content creators like Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Mukhija. During the episode, Allahbadia posed an inappropriate question to a contestant, asking, "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?"

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His remarks sparked massive outrage, leading to widespread backlash. In response, Allahbadia issued an apology, attributing the incident to a lapse in judgment. Samay Raina has been summoned by the Mumbai Police and Maharashtra's Cyber Department, which is conducting a separate inquiry into the matter. While he was initially instructed to appear within five days, he has requested an extension, citing his current stay in the US.

According to NDTV reports, the Mumbai Police have so far questioned eight individuals, including content creators Apoorva Makhija and Ashish Chanchalani, as well as Ranveer Allahbadia’s manager and the video editor of India’s Got Latent. The investigation was initiated following a complaint lodged by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. However, as of now, no formal case has been registered by the Mumbai Police.