Supreme Court quashes all FIRs against Samay Raina
What's the story
The Supreme Court of India on Friday quashed all First Information Reports (FIRs) against comedian Samay Raina and four others over alleged insensitive remarks about persons with disabilities on Raina's India's Got Latent show. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and JV Mohana noted the compliance of Raina and others with the court's direction to conduct awareness programs and raise funds for persons with disabilities.
Details
Controversy started after Ranveer Allahbadia appeared on Raina's show
The Cure SMA Foundation had filed a petition last year as an intervention application in the Latent case, accusing Raina of mocking the disabled.
The controversy started when influencer Ranveer Allahbadia appeared on Raina's show and made comments that were widely criticized as obscene and offensive.
Multiple complaints and FIRs were filed across states, alleging promotion of obscenity and use of indecent language.
Allahbadia then approached the Supreme Court seeking consolidation of the FIRs against him.
Warning
Court warned Raina over comments on case
The matter returned to the Supreme Court in March 2025 after Raina made comments about the case during a show in Canada.
The court sternly warned him against discussing the proceedings publicly and taking it lightly.
"These youngsters may think that we are outdated, but we know how to deal with them. Don't take the court lightly," the Chief Justice said during the hearing.
Remarks
Court allowed Allahbadia to resume podcast, granted interim protection
The court also criticized Allahbadia's remarks, stating that freedom of speech was not a license to use language that violated societal norms.
It granted him interim protection and allowed him to seek police security after reports of death threats.
The bench also allowed him to resume his podcast, The Ranveer Show, while stressing the need to balance morality with freedom of expression.
Non-compliance
SC imposed fine on Raina, others for non-compliance
The case was again scrutinized on July 14, 2026, when the Supreme Court criticized Raina and Allahbadia for allegedly failing to comply with its earlier directions.
The court described them as "self-styled youth icons" and expressed concern over their alleged non-compliance.
It imposed a fine of ₹3 lakh each on Raina and the other respondents (Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagadish Tanwar) and granted them two weeks to file a compliance affidavit.