In March this year, popular YouTuber Elvish Yadav stirred controversy after a physical altercation with fellow YouTuber Sagar Thakur, known as Maxtern, in Gurugram. The video of their fight inside a shop went viral, leading Thakur to file an FIR against the Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner. Despite the initial conflict, the two resolved their differences and were later seen together. Now, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed the FIR against Yadav.
According to Live Law, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR against Elvish Yadav under the condition that he and his associates refrain from promoting violence and substance abuse on social media. Justice Anoop Chitkara remarked, “The FIR portrays that the motive for violence was some dispute regarding popularity and content creation, with allegations leveled against Elvish Yadav and his accomplices.”
Justice Chitkara emphasized the importance of preventing future violent acts and ensuring that influencers understand the seriousness of such behavior. “To ensure similar violent acts are not repeated in the future, that impressionable followers do not get influenced by the misdemeanor exhibited by the accused persons, and that the accused are not under the mistaken belief that such instances are taken lightly by the legal system, this court proposes to quash the FIR in question but with the imposition of certain conditions.”
He further added, “Such actual use of violence in society cannot be accepted and needs to be condemned. Media influencers with a considerable audience must be sensitized to the message they impart through their actions to their susceptible followers and exhibit socially responsible behavior.”
The incident began when a viral video showed Elvish Yadav entering a shop and assaulting Sagar Thakur, accompanied by a group of men. The footage depicted Yadav slapping and kicking Thakur. Following the assault, Thakur filed a complaint with the Gurugram police, resulting in a case against Yadav under various sections of the IPC, including rioting, unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, and criminal intimidation.
The dispute between Yadav and Thakur had been escalating on social media for days. Elvish claimed that Maxtern had been provoking him for months and had even threatened his parents. On March 7, Yadav tweeted a reminder to Thakur that he lived in Delhi, leading Thakur to travel to Gurgaon. Thakur shared a screenshot of their conversation, showing they were set to meet at 12:30 PM.
On March 8, Thakur posted a video alleging that Yadav had threatened and beaten him, promising to release the video of the fight the next day. He detailed the incident and the charges filed at the police station in another video.
Following the incident, Yadav and Thakur patched things up. Maxtern even appeared in Yadav’s music video, prompting speculation that the entire conflict was a publicity stunt to promote the video.
This case highlights the power of social media influencers and the responsibility they carry in setting examples for their followers. The court’s decision underscores the importance of promoting positive behavior and the legal consequences of violent actions.