‘India’s Got Latent’ row: SC asks Samay Raina, others to apologise for jokes about disabled persons

The Supreme Court on Monday directed comedian Samay Raina and four others to apologise for jokes they had made about disabled persons on the India’s Got Latent show, Live Law reported.

The court asked Raina, and content creators Vipun Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar aka Sonali Aditya Desai and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar, to post the apologies on their social media platforms and YouTube channels.

The court said that it will also impose a penalty on them, Live Law reported.

The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a petition filed by Cure SMA Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that raises awareness and provides support for patients with spinal muscular atrophy.

The petitioner had also sought guidelines to ensure that disabled persons are not ridiculed.

The NGO had initially brought the matter to light through an intervention application filed in another case related to sexually explicit remarks made by YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia during an episode of the show India’s Got Latent in February. The show was hosted by Raina.

On Monday, the court said that humour cannot be at the expense of any person’s honour.

“And this is what so-called influencers of today should bear in mind,” Bagchi was quoted as having observed. “They are commercialising speech. The community at large should not be utilised to hurt the sentiments of certain...

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