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India.com
a day ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
SC Summons Samay Raina, Other Comedians Over Alleged Remarks On Disabilities
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed stand-up comedians Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, and Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar to appear personally before the court on the next date of hearing over their alleged insensitive remarks against persons with disabilities. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed comedian Sonali Thakkar, also known as Sonali Aditya Desai, to appear virtually during the next hearing. The apex court recorded the presence of Raina, Goyal, Tanwar, Ghai, and Thakkar and directed them to file their replies to the petition within two weeks. They all appeared before the apex court today in pursuant to court's earlier order. The bench made it clear that no extension will be granted beyond this period and warned that any absence on the next date of hearing will be viewed seriously. The apex court asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Centre, to prepare social media guidelines while balancing the freedom of speech and expression and the rights and duties of others. Venkataramani sought time to assist the court on the issue and said the enforceability of guidelines would require detailed consideration. "What we are doing is for posterity. You have to ensure that not a single word is misused by anyone. You have to ensure balance. We have to protect citizens' rights. A framework must be there that the dignity of anyone is not violated," the bench said. #WATCH | Delhi | Comedian Samay Raina arrives in the Supreme Court, to appear before the court in the matter related to allegedly mocking persons with disabilities. — ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2025 The top court was hearing a petition filed by M/s Cure SMA Foundation seeking a prohibition on the broadcast of derogatory and denigrating content on the digital media against persons with disability. It also sought the formulation of guidelines to safeguard the rights and dignity of persons with disability in the context of the broadcasting of online content. On May 5, the bench had summoned the comedians to appear before it or face coercive action after the plea alleged that they ridiculed persons suffering from SMA, a rare disorder, and also those suffering from other disabilities on their show. The top court had also issued notice to the Union of India through the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology, Social Justice and Empowerment, and News Broadcasters and Digital Association, and Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation. The NGO brought to the notice of the court the broadcast of certain online content, media and programmes that are derogatory, offensive, denigrating, ableist or belittling to persons with disability, or their diseases, or their treatment options. The petitioner was also aggrieved by the lack of any explicit statutory guidelines to sufficiently regulate the broadcast of such online content, which violates the right to life and dignity of persons with disabilities, while transgressing the qualified right of free speech and expression. It asked the court to put a positive obligation on both the government and private actors to adopt a unique standard of representation of persons with disability in the online domain. The NGO accused Raina of insensitive remarks on persons with such conditions, high-costing drugs and treatment options for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and also alleged to have ridiculed a person with disability. It flagged videos where he made comments on persons with disabilities. The petition said these comedians are public figures and enjoy a following of millions of viewers/users on various social media intermediaries. "The petitioner is concerned by certain live and pre-recorded event videos of these individuals, due to their offensive, denigrating and dehumanising representation of persons with disabilities," the petition said. "These videos shed light on the widespread irresponsible, insensitive and violate dissemination of such online content that contravenes the rightsof the persons with disability under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India, propels offensive stereotypes and misguided portrayals against them, and detrimentally impacts their societal participation, and fosters insensitivity and inhumanity against them, and as such falls within the reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2)," said the petition.
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Five social media influencers, including Samay Raina, appear before Supreme Court over remarks ‘ridiculing' disabled
India's Got Latent host Samay Raina and four other social media influencers appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday over a case regarding mocking disabled people. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted the presence of social media influencers and instructed them to submit their responses to the petition. Additionally, the bench asked them to appear again in person on the next hearing date of the case. Apart from Samay, the SC summoned Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, also known as Sonali Aditya Desai, and Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar. The top court, however, granted Sonali Thakkar permission to appear virtually at the next hearing because of a health issue. The bench stated that social media influencers must file their replies within two weeks, and no further extension will be granted. It also warned that their absence at the next hearing will be taken seriously. The Supreme Court instructed Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Centre, to draft social media guidelines that balance freedom of speech and expression with the rights and responsibilities of others. It stated that one person's freedom should not infringe on the rights of others and highlighted that the most challenging aspect is the enforceability of these guidelines. On May 5, the Supreme Court instructed five social media influencers to appear before it or face coercive measures, following a plea that accused them of ridiculing individuals with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disorder, as well as others with disabilities, on their show. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh instructed the Commissioner of Police of Mumbai that Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakar and Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar appear before the top court. The SC's order came after M/s Cure SMA Foundation filed a petition seeking to prevent the broadcast of derogatory and denigrating content on digital media targeting persons with disabilities. The petition also called for the development of guidelines to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities in relation to online content broadcasting.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Amid the 'India's Got Latent' row, comedian Samay Raina and 4 influencers summoned by the Supreme Court for a petition alleging comments that made fun of disabled people
Samay Raina finds himself in a new controversy since his 'India's Got Latent' row, as 5 influencers were recently summoned by the Supreme Court of India to appear for a petition that has been filed against them. The petition was filed against them by an NGO, which alleged that the five influencers, which included Samay Raina and popular comedian Vipul Goyal , had mocked individuals with disabilities. Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal and the like served with summons As per a report in TOI, the influencers, namely Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar, were issued a notice by the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, under the orders of the legal bench Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh. The influencers were asked to be present at the next court hearing; they were also warned that "if they fail to appear, coercive steps will be taken," as per reports from Live Law. The summons comes only 2 months after Raina was in legal trouble because of his episode on 'India's Got Latent' row. Public interest litigation filed by an NGO The PIL was filed by an NGO organisation called the 'Cure SMA Foundation of India.' The NGO called for more control over social media content and how it is shared. This suggestion was specifically called for with regard to content shared online about people with disabilities as well as people who have rare conditions. Justices condemn the issue, calling it "damaging" and "demoralising" The justices shared that they condemn the issue and that efforts to bring people into the mainstream front can go down the drain due to such actions. The bench also gave a statement and advised advocate Aprajita Singh, who is representing the NGO, regarding the matter that "This is very, very damaging and demoralising. There are statutes which try to bring these people into the mainstream, and with one incident, the entire effort goes. You should think of some remedial and punitive action within the law.' Samay Raina was also criticised by the court in the matter and shared that "numerous instances on (on) social media... in which persons with disabilities (and their issues) are objects of derision, pity, or public entertainment." Freedom of speech, a fundamental right but with limitations The top court shared statements in the matter and noted that while freedom of speech and expression is the right of every Indian citizen, it can be allowed without some reasonable restrictions and limitations. They shared that "free speech cannot carry with it the liberty to speak loosely on such serious issues and dismiss such statements as 'satire'." The bench also issued that due to this, there should be guidelines introduced to curate and overlook social media and that no one should be able to make such derogatory statements due to individual differences.
India Today
05-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Show up or...: Top court notice to Samay Raina, others over disability jokes
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to comedians Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, and three others in response to a petition alleging that they made insensitive comments mocking persons with disabilities.A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed Mumbai's Commissioner of Police to ensure the comedians appear before the court on the next date of hearing. The bench warned that "if they fail to appear, coercive steps will be taken."advertisementThe directive came after an intervention application by the Cure SMA Foundation of India. The other respondents named in the petition are Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar. "Think about persons who have made irresponsible remarks what remedial and punitive action should be justifiably be taken in law," the court observed, also requesting the Attorney General to assist in the matter, citing the sensitivity of the issues a previous hearing, the top court said it was "disturbed" by Raina's jokes mocking blind individuals and an infant with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) on his YouTube show, India's Got RAINA ACCUSED OF INSENSITIVITYIn its plea, Cure SMA Foundation criticised the YouTuber for making offensive remarks on his show, calling it one of "numerous instances (on) social media... in which persons with disabilities (and their issues) are objects of derision, pity, or public entertainment."advertisementIt further asserted that "free speech cannot carry with it the liberty to speak loosely on such serious issues and dismiss such statements as 'satire'."Lamenting the lack of sensitivity, the foundation stated that achieving "the highest degree of sensitivity and compassion" for individuals with SMA becomes a "mammoth task when certain individuals, like Samay Raina, host a comedy show and make insensitive commentaries on persons such with such condition and high cost of drugs and treatment options."The foundation's primary demand is for the court to direct the central government to include provisions in a proposed regulatory framework aimed at "regulating any derogatory, denigrating, ableist, and/or belittling content against persons with disability, their diseases, and their treatment options."It argued that such regulations should encompass content from online curated platforms, news and current affairs publishers, and self-styled influencers.
