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As Karnataka prepares to unveil a comprehensive regulatory framework for the online real money gaming (RMG) industry by the end of this year, sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that the state government is planning to introduce a whitelisting mechanism for legitimate operators. 

In a significant move, the state also intends to establish a clear legal distinction between skill-based gaming and gambling. However, it remains uncertain what measures will be taken against offshore betting platforms, whose operations have exponentially grown in the past year.

The upcoming framework will also include provisions for age-gating, grievance redressal mechanisms, and player support systems—part of a broader "consumer-first" strategy aimed at curbing the influence of illegal betting and gambling services.

According to Digital India Foundation report, four betting platforms—Parimatch, Stake, 1xBet, and Battery Bet—received 1.6 billion visits in just three months, between October and December 2024. Social media platforms like Facebook, Meta, and Telegram drove 42.8 million visits to these four platforms during the same period. While deposits in illegal betting and gambling are exceeding 100 billion dollars per year and are growing at an annual rate of 30%.

On April 8, key representatives from the RMG sector—including officials from the All India Gaming Federation, the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, and the E-Gaming Federation—met with Karnataka’s Home Minister S. Parameshwara and IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge to discuss the impending regulations.

“Karnataka is taking a progressive approach toward regulating the RMG industry,” said one industry representative. “Whitelisting legitimate companies and cracking down on illegal operators will definitely support sector growth. If implemented it will make Karnataka, the first state to implement whitelisting of RMG companies in this complex regulatory landscape.”

Another stakeholder, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that a draft of the new framework is expected within the next couple of months, followed by a stakeholder consultation phase. “The Karnataka government is targeting an end-of-year rollout,” the person said.

If executed effectively, Karnataka’s move could set a precedent for other states, paving the way for a more structured and investment-friendly gaming industry across India. With regulatory clarity on the horizon, industry players are hopeful that a balanced framework will foster innovation while safeguarding users and curbing illegal operations.

This effort marks a shift from the state's previous stance. In 2021, Karnataka introduced the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, which sought to ban all forms of online gambling—excluding lotteries and horse racing—by removing the distinction between games of skill and games of chance. The law inadvertently included skill-based gaming startups under its purview.

However, the Karnataka High Court struck down most provisions of the bill in February 2022, deeming them unconstitutional. The state appealed to the Supreme Court, which issued notices to various gaming companies and industry bodies. The case remains pending.

"There is nothing to regulate them so far. They have agreed to the introduction of a licence system and a regulation as per law. Once the draft is submitted, we will bring in a new law," Home Minister Parameshwara said, adding that a committee is currently drafting the policy.

Minister for Information Technology and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge had last month said that the government is mulling over bringing the entire online gaming, real money gaming under a legal parameter.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is also working on its own regulatory framework for online gaming, signalling a broader trend toward structured oversight in India’s RMG space. Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Affairs, Yogesh Kadam, recently told the state’s Legislative Council that the government is developing tougher laws to combat cybercrime and financial fraud linked to online platforms. “A uniform policy and stricter legal measures are on the way,” Kadam noted.

Adding to the anticipation, stakeholders across the country are now closely watching the Supreme Court's hearing on the ₹2.5 lakh crore GST case, scheduled for May 5–9. The outcome is expected to have far-reaching implications for the future of India’s online gaming industry.

EXCLUSIVE: Karnataka govt to introduce whitelist for Real Money Gaming operators

The European Union on Wednesday levied significant penalties against two of the world's most influential companies, fining Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of euros for violations of the bloc’s stringent new digital competition rules.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the E.U., announced a €500 million ($571 million) fine against Apple and a €200 million ($228.4 million) fine against Meta, citing breaches of the Digital Markets Act — a sweeping law designed to curb the power of major online platforms and foster greater competition in the digital economy.

In Apple’s case, regulators concluded the company had failed to comply with the DMA’s “anti-steering” provisions, which require platform operators to allow app developers to inform users of alternative purchasing options outside of proprietary app stores. Officials ordered Apple to eliminate both technical and commercial barriers that prevent such steering, warning against further noncompliance.

Apple said it would appeal the decision.

“Today’s announcements are yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple,” the company said, arguing that the ruling undermines user privacy and security. Apple added that it had made “dozens of changes” and invested “hundreds of thousands of engineering hours” in an effort to meet regulatory requirements.

Meta was found to have run afoul of the DMA by conditioning access to its platforms on user consent to share personal data — or, alternatively, on payment for an ad-free experience. The policy, introduced in late 2023, applied to users of Facebook and Instagram within the E.U.

Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief global affairs officer, accused the Commission of singling out American firms. “This isn’t just about a fine,” Kaplan said. “The Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service.”

EU officials acknowledged that Meta had taken some steps toward compliance, including the introduction of a less personalized advertising model that relies on minimal personal data. That revised service is under review.

“The Commission is currently assessing this new option and continues its dialogue with Meta,” regulators said in a statement, noting that the company has been ordered to implement further changes within 60 days or face additional penalties.

The decisions highlights growing transatlantic tensions over digital regulation. President Donald J. Trump, who has openly criticized the EU’s approach to American tech firms, recently retaliated with a round of “reciprocal” tariffs. Earlier this month, his administration imposed a 20 percent levy on European goods, later scaled back to 10 percent amid ongoing trade negotiations.


EU slaps $800 million in fines on Apple and Meta over digital market violations

In the ongoing federal antitrust trial Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom delivered compelling testimony on Tuesday, alleging that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg deliberately limited resources for the burgeoning photo-sharing app after its acquisition in 2012. Systrom asserted that Zuckerberg viewed Instagram's rapid growth as a threat to Facebook's dominance, as per reports.

"Mark was not investing in Instagram because he believed we were a threat to their growth," Systrom stated during his extensive six-hour testimony. His remarks directly contradicted Zuckerberg's claims from the previous week, where the Meta CEO maintained that the social media giant, formerly known as Facebook, strategically invested heavily in Instagram post-acquisition.

The government's case hinges on the argument that Meta's acquisitions of Instagram for $1 billion and WhatsApp for $19 billion were part of a "buy-or-bury strategy" designed to eliminate potential competitors and solidify its social media monopoly. 1  Systrom's testimony provided significant support for this claim, despite his own substantial financial gain from the Instagram sale.   

Systrom, who eventually departed Meta in 2018, attributed his decision to Zuckerberg's alleged reluctance to invest adequately in Instagram's growth. He highlighted the stark disparity in employee numbers, noting that while Instagram had amassed a billion users, roughly 40% of Facebook's user base at the time, it operated with a lean team of just 1,000 employees compared to Facebook's massive 35,000.

"We were by far the fastest growing team," Systrom emphasized. "We produced the most revenue, and relative to what we should have been at the time, I felt like we should have been much larger."

The government's line of questioning focused on the period surrounding Instagram's inception in 2010, a time Systrom described as experiencing "exponential, unstoppable" growth from its initial launch.

However, during cross-examination, Meta's attorney, Kevin Huff, presented past public statements from Systrom where he had lauded Facebook's support following the acquisition. Huff cited an interview where Systrom admitted to previously holding the app together with "duct tape" and noted the newfound ease of accessing resources like salespeople after becoming part of Facebook.

In response, Systrom acknowledged these earlier statements but clarified, "We grew much more quickly because we were part of Facebook than we would have as an independent company." This nuance suggests a potential initial benefit from the acquisition that later soured due to alleged underinvestment.

The trial, now in its second week, continues to scrutinize Meta's decade-old acquisitions, with the core argument from the Federal Trade Commission being that these buyouts stifled competition by removing promising startups capable of challenging Meta's market power. Systrom's testimony adds a powerful voice to this narrative, painting a picture of a successful startup potentially held back by its acquirer's fear of its own potential.

Instagram co-founder testifies Zuckerberg feared app's success, leading to resource starvation

Dan Taylor, Vice President of Global Advertising Strategy at Google who leads Google’s go-to-market strategy for global performance advertising asserts that advertising has always been about connecting businesses to relevant potential customers. He explains how AI is enhancing this already vibrant digital advertising ecosystem, helping us move at what he calls “the speed of the consumer.” He further elaborates on what makes Google AI, Search, and YouTube uniquely positioned to help advertisers succeed in this moment.

"Google is an AI-first company. We bring a full-stack approach to AI: infrastructure, research, and scale—and this extends to Google Ads.," Taylor emphasizes. "Our infrastructure has supported advertising results for over a decade. Analytical and predictive AI has helped us serve the right ad to the right person at the right time. Tools like broad match in Search and fully AI-powered campaigns like Performance Max have been running in the background, delivering results."

Today, he claims that AI is front and center in Google. Generative AI has captured imaginations because it’s visible and tangible—it enhances both consumer experience and advertising capabilities.


<strong>Generative AI in Creative</strong>

A major impact of Generative AI is in content creation. Early adopters of generative AI report that content generation is 4x faster and copywriting is 5x faster. That’s a real force multiplier.

"We recently announced that advertisers can now use ImageN3, a part of Gemini, to generate images featuring people and faces using text prompts. This is now available across Performance Max, Demand Gen, Display, and App campaigns, making it much easier to create relevant, customized advertising," he states.

Today, over 80% of Google’s advertisers use at least one AI-powered Search Ads feature. Taylor notes that these tools are increasingly becoming foundational to how campaigns are built.

He also observes that this creative acceleration is matched by a shift in how consumers behave online. Taylor reflects that consumer behavior has also changed. It’s now predictably unpredictable and multi-modal. People are streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping but in overlapping, non-linear ways.

For example a photo can be a search. Scrolling might happen on a smart TV. A paused video might become a product discovery moment. "Traditional media planning can’t keep up. Marketers now need to engage with consumers in every moment—from discovery to decision. Google is uniquely positioned to enable this across Search, YouTube, Maps, Shopping, and more."

<strong>YouTube evolves</strong>

"As consumer attention shifts, nowhere is the transformation more visible than on YouTube particularly in the living room. Today, people globally watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube on TVs each day," Taylor believes.

He reveals that, "In APAC, YouTube CTV (Connected TV) viewership has doubled or tripled in countries like Taiwan, India, and Japan. YouTube is the most-watched streaming service on CTV in India and Japan. Furthermore, shorts ads are not only being viewed more but are also better liked and perceived as more relevant compared to ads on other platforms."

<strong>Search and Intent: Still the Core</strong>

Search remains central to discovery. Google Search has evolved from just blue links to include: Images, Videos, Knowledge cards and Conversational results. He highlights that with over 5 trillion searches annually, and 15% of daily searches being brand new, search is constantly evolving, he highlights.

Taylor points out that users who engage with AI Overviews search more, visit a wider range of websites, and respond more to ads within those Overviews and 
this has led to an increase in commercial queries. According to him, this makes the search experiences of younger generations more useful. Visual search is exploding Google Lens now sees 20 billion visual queries per month, and 1 in 4 of those has commercial intent.

Taylor notes that the customer's casual curiosity has turned into real-time product discovery. "Shopping ads appear alongside Lens results, helping brands reach customers right at that visual inspiration moment. Shopping behavior is massive across Google.  Over 1 billion shopping-related actions happen daily. Google and YouTube are involved in two-thirds of purchase journeys where new brands or products are discovered. Between Feb 2024 and Jan 2025, users watched 35 billion hours of shopping-related content on YouTube."


<strong>India Case Study: Puma</strong>

Zooming into India, Taylor cites Puma as an example of AI's local impact. The brand used Performance Max to reach website visitors who didn’t convert earlier. The result led to 35% lower cost per sale than other paid channels and 66% higher ROI than other channels. 

He adds, "We’re using models and AI to enhance the scale and accuracy of our enforcement efforts. These technologies are helping our safety teams identify bad actors earlier than ever, and that has significantly strengthened our ability to act against malicious practices—on both the organic and paid advertising sides."

In fact, Google blocked or removed over 5 billion ads for violating its policies before they ever served. It also suspended more than 39 million advertiser accounts and removed ads from over 222,000 publisher sites.

These developments illustrate not just Google’s AI push, but a broader industry shift where the lines between platforms, behaviors, and advertising formats are blurring.

<strong>Read More:</strong><a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/inside-ctvs-explosion-how-brands-are-leveraging-immersive-storytelling-and-data-62756.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Inside CTV's explosion: How brands are leveraging immersive storytelling and data</a>

Google's Dan Taylor on how AI is redefining the ad playbook

The government on Friday announced the appointment of Sanjiv Shankar, a 1993-batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service, as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

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Shankar is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A veteran of tax administration, he has played a key role in shaping public policy related to media regulation and digital governance. His academic credentials include a degree in public policy and taxation from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

In a concurrent appointment, Prabhat, a 1993-batch officer of the Indian Railway Personnel Service, has been named Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He has held various leadership roles in the Indian Railways, with a particular emphasis on human resource management and institutional administration.

Abhishek Singh, a 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Nagaland cadre, has been appointed Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Singh will assume the post in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India and will continue to hold his additional charge as Additional Secretary in the ministry.

With more than 29 years of service in governance, policy, and digital public administration, Singh is widely regarded as a leading voice in India’s technology-driven reforms. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of MyGov India and the National e-Governance Division, where he was instrumental in shaping and implementing nationwide e-governance initiatives.

Singh is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, where he earned a Master’s in Public Administration as a Mason Fellow in 2013.

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MIB's Sanjiv Shankar transferred ahead of WAVES; Prabhat named Additional Secretary in I&B Ministry

In what appears to be a calculated effort to move past controversy and reconnect with fans, YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session, his first public interaction since the India's Got Latent obscenity row that drew him and fellow creator Samay Raina into legal crosshairs.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2025/04/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-17-at-10.51.48-2025-04-d0d22ef2cb67af6afa98eab7b7c1d32e-167x300.jpeg" alt="" width="167" height="300" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-62554" />

Instead of dodging questions about the controversy, Ranveer leaned into them. He addressed the issue head-on, reaffirming his solidarity with friends and collaborators like Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Mukhija. “Samay will be back… all of us have gotten closer after the events,” he said, signaling not just reconciliation, but a tightening of bonds in the creator community.

The move came shortly after both Ranveer and Samay appeared before Maharashtra Cyber in connection with the case, which involved alleged obscene content in the India’s Got Latent show. The investigation is still ongoing, but Ranveer’s reemergence through an open forum suggests a strategy to rebuild trust through transparency and resilience.

Beyond legal headlines, Ranveer’s AMA offers a glimpse into a maturing creator ecosystem, one that’s learning how to navigate public scrutiny, cancel culture and internal accountability. His message, laced with optimism and brotherhood, “Picture abhi baaki hai”, feels less like a comeback tagline and more like a rallying cry for creators under fire.

Ranveer has also resumed his podcasting journey, perhaps another signal that it’s business as usual, with a renewed sense of purpose.

Ranveer Allahbadia breaks silence; says ‘Samay Will Be Back, Picture Abhi Baaki Hai'

Just days after losing a legal case over The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, the White House has unveiled a new media policy that sharply limits how wire services—like AP, Reuters and Bloomberg—can cover Donald Trump.

The fresh rules, which insiders say were quietly shared with selected journalists, mean these agencies will now compete for fewer places in limited-space events like Oval Office briefings and Air Force One trips. Previously, they had guaranteed access through a long-standing system run by the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Instead of automatically including wire services in every pool event, the new policy lumps them in with other print reporters, rotating between just two available spots. This change drastically reduces the presence of organisations whose content reaches billions of readers through newspapers, broadcasters and websites around the world.

Although the White House insists reporters will be allowed in “regardless of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet,” it also grants Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt final say over who gets in on any given day.

This change comes after a federal judge ruled last week that the administration had violated the AP’s free speech rights by banning it from covering events after it refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by the Trump-preferred name, “Gulf of America.” The judge, Trevor McFadden, ordered the White House to restore the AP’s access.

Yet the very next day, the AP was excluded from coverage of Trump’s meeting with El Salvador’s president in the Oval Office.

The AP has said it is “deeply disappointed” that instead of following the court’s ruling, the White House responded by making access harder for all wire services.

“These outlets support thousands of media organisations in the US and abroad,” said AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton. “Their work helps local papers and TV stations keep their communities informed. The government’s actions continue to undermine Americans’ right to speak freely without punishment.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association also criticised the move, warning that the new policy could still be used to favour friendly media and shut out critical ones. “The government should not be able to control the independent media that covers it,” said association president Eugene Daniels.

In recent months, Trump’s media team has been accused of giving priority access to outlets sympathetic to the president. During a press briefing on Tuesday, the first journalist called on praised Trump while asking two questions. Meanwhile, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins was interrupted and accused of “hating our country” after questioning the president about a deportation case.

Though Trump is often willing to speak to reporters—more so than his predecessor Joe Biden—critics say these new limits on who can ask questions are part of a broader effort to control his media image.

The administration insists that press access is a privilege, not a right. In court filings, it argued that no media outlet, including the AP, is entitled to guaranteed access and that past practices don’t need to continue.

The government is now appealing the court ruling and is expected to appear in front of an appeals court later this week. Despite the controversy, an AP reporter was finally allowed into a White House event again on Tuesday—an appearance by the Navy football team.

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White House introduces new media rules restricting wire services’ access to President Trump

Blue Origin, the space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, completed a short space flight with an all-female crew that included his fiancée Lauren Sanchez and pop star Katy Perry. The flight lasted around 11 minutes and went over 60 miles above Earth, crossing the Kármán line, which marks the official boundary of space.

After landing back on Earth, Perry was seen raising her hand to the sky and kissing the ground, saying, “I feel super-connected to love. I think this experience has shown me how much love is inside of me."

Sanchez described the journey as “profound”, adding, “You see Earth, and then there’s total darkness… but we saw the moon and then looked back at Earth, and it looked like a jewel.”

Despite the emotional remarks, the mission was heavily criticised online, with many users calling it an unnecessary PR move. One X (formerly Twitter) user compared it to a “forced girl power moment”, referencing the much-debated scene in Avengers: Endgame, saying:

“A billionaire sending his wife into space with some rich female celebrities just to make space seem safe is dumb."

Others were more blunt in their criticism.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m sorry but this is as silly as that forced girl power moment in the middle of the battle in Avengers Endgame - A billionaire sending his wife into space with some rich female celebrities just for space is safe PR is dumb <a href="https://t.co/xJkb9KU6G0">pic.twitter.com/xJkb9KU6G0</a></p>&mdash; Andy Signore (@andysignore) <a href="https://twitter.com/andysignore/status/1911813959751000455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Jeff Bezos is such a dork, and this entire thing is so cringe,” one person wrote.
“If Bezos can send Katy Perry into space, he can pay a wealth tax so every American has debt-free healthcare,” added another.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is one of the worst things I’ve seen.<br><br>Jeff Bezos is such a dork, and this entire thing is so cringe.<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/T6qbV3wgNH">pic.twitter.com/T6qbV3wgNH</a></p>&mdash; Petey B (@realpeteyb123) <a href="https://twitter.com/realpeteyb123/status/1911828817796092175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Another user pointed out the irony of the situation, “He couldn’t even pay Amazon workers fairly, but he can send six rich women into space like it’s nothing.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jeff Bezos couldn’t even pay Amazon workers fairly but he can send 6 rich women into space like it’s nothing..</p>&mdash; Aes?? (@AesPolitics1) <a href="https://twitter.com/AesPolitics1/status/1911930949337841723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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Blue Origin has not issued any official response to the criticism.

<iframe src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7317588125206138880?collapsed=1" height="399" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post"></iframe>

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Progress or publicity? Jeff Bezos' all-female Blue Origin flight mocked as ‘cringe PR stunt’

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, is set to defend itself in a high-stakes antitrust trial, a case that could reshape the landscape of the technology industry and challenge the company’s ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp, two of the most influential social media platforms in the world.

The trial, years in the making, marks a significant test for the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to rein in the power of Big Tech. Originally filed in 2020 during the Trump administration, the FTC’s lawsuit alleges that Meta engaged in a deliberate campaign to eliminate emerging competitors by acquiring them, a strategy that, the government contends, has resulted in an unlawful monopoly in the social media market.

At the center of the case are two pivotal acquisitions: Instagram, purchased in 2012 for $1 billion in cash and stock, and WhatsApp, acquired two years later for $22 billion. Both services, initially independent startups, now serve as pillars of Meta’s vast digital empire. The FTC argues that the deals were part of a broader strategy articulated by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2008: “It is better to buy than compete.”

In its complaint, the agency asserts that Meta, then operating under the Facebook name, tracked rising competitors and moved swiftly to purchase companies it saw as credible threats to its dominance. Rather than innovate, the FTC alleges, Meta opted to “neutralize perceived competitive threats” during a period of rapid industry transition from desktop to mobile.

“These acquisitions have allowed Meta to entrench its monopoly,” the complaint reads, adding that the company implemented exclusionary practices to prevent smaller firms from gaining traction.

Meta has fiercely contested the US government’s case. In a recent statement, the company described the lawsuit as 'detached from reality,' insisting that Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook face stiff competition from an array of modern platforms. The company also warned that the FTC’s actions undermine confidence in the regulatory process, noting that its acquisitions were reviewed and approved more than a decade ago.

As per reports, the company added, “Regulators should be supporting American innovation, not weakening it to the benefit of foreign rivals, especially in areas as vital as artificial intelligence.” In filings last week, Meta emphasized that the FTC must prove the company currently holds monopoly power, not merely that it did at the time of the acquisitions. 


Meta’s grip on social media faces major test in historic antitrust trial

YouTuber and influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, aka BeerBiceps, has broken his silence amid the ongoing legal turmoil surrounding his controversial remark on the now-infamous India’s Got Latent show. 

In a recent Instagram post, Allahbadia shared a reflective message signaling personal transformation and resilience. He wrote, “Bent, not broken. Still gotta change the world.”

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2025/04/WhatsApp-Image-2025-04-14-at-12.22.12-2025-04-25e4f46f7cd4628664b4ae912ac950b5-190x300.jpeg" alt="" width="190" height="300" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-62236" />

The post comes even as the Maharashtra Cyber Cell mulls legal action against him over alleged non-cooperation during the investigation. Authorities had summoned Allahbadia along with fellow creators Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Mukhija. While the others reportedly recorded their statements in February, Allahbadia has yet to respond, according to reports.

<strong>From Peak to Public Backlash</strong>

The controversy erupted when Allahbadia posed a provocative question to a contestant on India’s Got Latent. He said, "Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or would you join in once and stop it forever?"

The joke drew nationwide outrage, triggering multiple FIRs, online condemnation and investigations by Maharashtra and Assam police. Though the Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest, the backlash prompted Allahbadia to issue a public apology in a video titled "Let’s Talk", where he acknowledged his misstep and promised greater sensitivity in future content.

In recent appearances and posts, Allahbadia has begun reframing his narrative, not as a fall from grace, but as a moment of reckoning. Speaking with actor Emraan Hashmi in his podcast, he described the experience as “a shock,” saying, “I was genuinely at my peak, and then we crashed and burned. At this point, I’m the powder, and the powder is collecting itself to shape up again.”

SOCIAL MEDIA