Disability jokes row: SC asks Samay to respond within two-weeks
What's the story
Comedian and India's Got Latent host Samay Raina, along with four other social media influencers, appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The other influencers are Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar, Sonali Thakar, Vipul Goyal, and Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai. The court is hearing a case against them for allegedly making derogatory remarks about people with disabilities. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi recorded their presence and asked them to file replies to the petition within two weeks.
Exemption granted
Exemption for influencer Sonali Thakkar
The court has ordered the influencers to appear in person again at the next hearing. However, it has granted an exemption to influencer Thakkar aka Sonali Aditya Desai, allowing her to appear virtually due to a physical condition, reported PTI. The bench warned that no further extension would be given, and their absence on the next date of hearing would be viewed seriously.
Guidelines preparation
Guidelines for social media
The Supreme Court has also asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, who is representing the Centre, to prepare social media guidelines. The bench stressed that these guidelines should maintain a balance between freedom of speech and expression and the rights and duties of others. It noted that one person's freedom should not violate another's rights and highlighted that enforcing these guidelines could be challenging.
Legal action
Plea against influencers
On May 5, the Supreme Court had ordered all five influencers to appear before it or face coercive action. This came after a plea by the Cure SMA India Foundation alleged that they ridiculed persons suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disorder, and other disabilities on their show. The application claims Raina mocked people suffering from SMA in two videos, alongside ridiculing blind and cross-eyed individuals. "We are really disturbed by the allegations," Justice Kant earlier said.
Controversy
What did Raina say?
In a stand-up comedy video, Raina had referenced a "charity case" of a two-month-old baby needing an injection worth ₹16 crore. He asked an audience member, "Ma'am, you tell me... if you were that mother and one day ₹16 crore appeared in your bank account...while you had a two-month-old...wouldn't you at least look at your husband once and say...'Hmmm... inflation is rising.'" Notably, Zolgensma, a one-time gene therapy for SMA, costs around ₹16cr.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Raina's stand-up clip
This is Samay Raina allegedly doing comedy, making fun of a child’s rare disease. pic.twitter.com/0zU32h5qwD
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) February 15, 2025