Supreme Court asks Samay Raina and others to issue online apologies

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked comedian Samay Raina and four others to publish apologies on YouTube and other platforms for making remarks deemed insensitive towards persons with disabilities, according to Bar and Bench.

A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also asked the comedians to respond to the suggestion of creating awareness about issues faced by persons with disabilities.

Bar  and Bench reported that Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar (also known as Sonali Aditya Desai) and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar had submitted their apologies in Court.

Justice Kant noted that Raina initially sought to portray himself as innocent before issuing an apology. “Today, it is disabled, tomorrow something else. How will the society be affected… where will all this end?” he remarked.

The proceedings arose from a petition filed by the Cure SMA India Foundation, which accused Raina of making insensitive comments regarding the high cost of treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and allegedly ridiculing a person with the condition. The petition also called for regulations on online content that may violate the right to life and dignity of persons with disabilities.

In May, the Court had directed the Mumbai Commissioner of Police to ensure the presence of Raina, Goyal, Ghai, Thakkar, and Tanwar in Court, though their appearance was exempted on Monday.

Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, representing the petitioner, told the Court that comedians and other influencers could use their platforms to raise awareness about issues faced by persons with disabilities. “What these influencers say matters. So these influencers can use their medium and take forward this issue and espouse the cause,” she said.

The Court asked Raina and the other comedians to respond to this suggestion. It clarified that any decision on cost or penalty would be addressed at a later stage, according to Bar and Bench.