The Supreme Court has directed five popular social media influencers, including stand-up comic Samay Raina, to issue public apologies on their podcasts and programmes for making derogatory remarks about persons with disabilities.
The order was passed on Monday by a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant, which also asked the Union Government to frame guidelines to curb online content that offends or ridicules disabled persons, women, children, and senior citizens.
The other influencers named in the case are comedians Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjit Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar. They were summoned after the court took strong exception to their remarks during an earlier hearing in May.
Court Questions Limits of Humour
During the proceedings, the Bench asked the comedians to reflect on “where the jokes will end” and directed that apologies be made through the same platforms where the offensive content was shared.
Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for the petitioner CURE SMA Foundation of India, suggested that the influencers should also use their reach to raise awareness about disability rights, stating:
“Let them use their influence to take forward this issue. That would be the best apology.”
Allegations of Hate Speech
The petition, filed by CURE SMA — which supports persons with spinal muscular atrophy — accused the influencers of using expressions that amounted to hate speech. It alleged that video clips from their shows mocked individuals with SMA and other disabilities, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
The petition argued that such conduct violates the rights of persons with disabilities under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution and falls within the reasonable restrictions on free speech under Article 19(2). It warned that such content “detrimentally impacts societal participation” and fosters “insensitivity and inhumanity”.
This is not the first time Samay Raina has faced the Supreme Court’s censure. He, along with Ranveer Allahbadia, was earlier summoned over controversial remarks made on the comedy show India’s Got Latent.
