The Supreme Court on Thursday (March 19, 2026) quashed criminal proceedings launched by Uttar Pradesh against YouTuber Elvish Yadav in a narcotics and wildlife protection law case involving snake venom as unsustainable in law.

A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh found that the alleged “psychotropic substance” recovered from a co-accused in the case was not listed in the Schedule of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The court further found that the complaint filed in the case under the Wildlife Protection Act was not by an authorised officer. Section 55 of the Act mandates that a court need not take cognisance of a complaint alleging an offence unless it was filed by authorised officials who include the director of wildlife preservation; member-secretary of the central zoo authority; member-secretary of tiger conservation authority; director of a tiger reserve; a Wild Life Crime Control Bureau officer, Chief Wildlife Warden.

The court was informed by senior advocate Mukta Gupta, appearing for Mr. Yadav, that the complaint was filed by an individual associated with a private animal protection organisation.

It said that offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) invoked in the FIR against Mr. Yadav were based on an earlier FIR registered in Gurugram, in which a closure report had been filed.

The court, however, clarified that it was not giving Mr. Yadav a “clean chit”. The authority concerned was at liberty to proceed against him by following the correct procedure under the wildlife statute.

Justice Sundresh said “if there is any procedural violation, it cannot be assumed the appellant has been given a clean chit”.

Ms. Gupta said her client would also be free to seek legal remedy in the eventuality of a fresh complaint being filed.

The case against Mr. Yadav was registered on November 22, 2023, and he was arrested on March 17, 2024, for the alleged use of snake venom at a rave party in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The controversial YouTuber had moved the apex court against an Allahabad High Court order refusing him relief by quashing the chargesheet in the case. The chargesheet alleged the consumption of snake venom as a recreational drug at “rave” parties by people, including foreigners.

On August 6 last year, the apex court stayed proceedings in the trial court against Mr. Yadav in the case.