Pranit More ‘Rs 370 Biryani’ Controversy: From Viral Remark to Supreme Court Notice

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and the Maharashtra and Haryana governments on comedian Pranit More’s plea seeking clubbing of FIRs linked to the “Rs 370 biryani” remark allegedly made during a show in Gurugram.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued the notice after More’s counsel told the court that the comedian had apologised before several forums, including the National Commission for Women (NCW). The counsel said More was seeking to club the Gurugram FIR with the Bombay FIR and was ready to face trial.

The counsel also told the bench that More had deleted the video before the FIR was registered after learning about the controversy. He was travelling at the time, and his PR team had uploaded the video without his approval, the counsel said.

The controversy began at More’s Gurugram comedy show, where audience member Himanshu Jangra, a web developer, spoke about spending Rs 370 on chicken biryani during a date. He then made a remark about seeking sexual favours after spending the money. More was seen laughing during the exchange. The clip later circulated on social media.

Following the backlash, Jangra’s employer, Gurugram-based Starvik Design, terminated his employment. Founder Vivek Vishwakarma confirmed the decision. Jangra later apologised over the incident and deactivated his Instagram account.

More also issued an apology. The NCW took cognisance of the matter and summoned More and Jangra. Maharashtra Cyber Police subsequently registered an FIR in connection with the content.

More’s plea before the Supreme Court seeks consolidation of the criminal proceedings arising from the incident. The court has sought responses from the Centre, Maharashtra and Haryana on the request. The bench has not, at this stage, ordered that the FIRs be clubbed.

The September 21 hearing is the latest development in the case, with the Supreme Court now awaiting the responses of the parties before considering the plea further. The matter remains pending before the court for now.