Top court questions influencer’s plea against Wildlife Act charges
February 20, 2026: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday strongly criticised Elvish Yadav while hearing his plea challenging criminal proceedings in the alleged snake venom case. A bench of Justices MM Sundaresh and N Kotiswar Singh observed that if popular personalities are seen using “voiceless victims” like snakes, it could send a wrong message to society. The court questioned whether he had handled the snake and said it was concerned specifically with the complaint filed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
Senior advocate Mukta Gupta, appearing for Yadav, argued that the YouTuber had attended the party only as a guest for a video shoot by singer Fazilpuria and denied allegations of a rave party or consumption of psychotropic substances. It was further submitted that Yadav was not present at the alleged location and that medical reports indicated the nine snakes examined were not poisonous.
Yadav was booked in November 2023 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, over allegations of using snake venom at a rave party and was arrested in March 2024. Trial court proceedings were later stayed, and his legal team has maintained that no snakes or banned substances were recovered from him. The case has drawn widespread media attention due to Yadav’s popularity as a reality show winner and social media influencer.