The Supreme Court on Monday took cognisance of a serious allegation against stand-up comic and YouTube show host Samay Raina, stating it would examine a plea alleging that he mocked individuals with disabilities, including a visually impaired person and those affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh, while hearing an intervention application filed by NGO Cure SMA Foundation of India, asked the petitioner to file a proper writ petition instead. “This is a serious issue. You file a writ petition. We will see what can be done. In writ jurisdiction we have larger scope,” the court said.
The matter arose during a hearing in the ongoing case involving influencer and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, who had participated in Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. The court, noting that the investigation against Allahbadia was complete, scheduled a hearing on his plea for the return of his passport on April 28.
On February 18, the apex court had granted Allahbadia interim protection from arrest in multiple FIRs filed against him in Maharashtra and Assam and directed him to submit his passport with the investigating officer of Thane’s Nodal Cyber Police Station.
During Monday’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that while the probe in the Mumbai FIR was complete and a chargesheet would soon be filed, in the Guwahati FIR, only one co-accused’s statement remained to be recorded. Counsel for Assam Police stated that all accused, except Apoorva Makhija, had responded to summons and recorded their statements. Makhija, who failed to appear despite two notices, was given another date—Tuesday—for recording her statement.
Senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, representing Allahbadia, told the court his client had no association with the co-accused apart from appearing on the show. He confirmed that Allahbadia had cooperated fully with the investigation.
Meanwhile, Cure SMA Foundation of India argued that there was a pressing need for comprehensive guidelines to regulate online content, particularly to curb derogatory and ableist narratives about persons with disabilities. The NGO clarified it was not seeking a blanket ban but targeted regulation against offensive and demeaning portrayals.
“There was an urgent need for comprehensive guidelines and regulatory measures that explicitly and sufficiently regulate any derogatory, denigrating, ableist and belittling content against the persons with disability, their diseases and their treatment options by various stakeholders, including but not limited to publishers of online curated content, self-styled influencers and content creators,” the plea stated.
Referring specifically to Raina’s conduct as a show host, the NGO said such insensitive commentary by comedians not only trivialises the serious conditions but also influences public perception adversely, perpetuating stigma and reducing receptivity towards treatment efforts.
The court has previously made strong observations on Allahbadia’s remarks, calling them “vulgar” and accusing him of having a “dirty mind” that brought “shame to society.” On April 1, Allahbadia submitted an undertaking promising to maintain decency in his content, following which the court permitted the resumption of The Ranveer Show, provided it adhered to standards of “morality and decency.”
The bench has also expanded the scope of proceedings to include broader regulatory concerns about online content. It directed the Centre to draft a regulatory mechanism for digital platforms that balances free speech with accountability. Any such framework, the court said, should be open to public consultation before being considered for legislative or judicial implementation.
Alongside Raina and Allahbadia, the Assam FIR also names comedians Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija.
