SC orders public apology from comedians over jokes
New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Monday directed comedian Samay Raina and four others to issue public apologies on social media for making insensitive jokes about a child suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The order came while hearing a plea by the Cure SMA Foundation of India, which objected to comedians mocking the struggles of patients dependent on fundraising for costly treatment.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it would decide on penalties in the next hearing. Apart from Raina, comedians Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar alias Sonali Aditya Desai, and Nishant Tanwar were also present and submitted written apologies.
The foundation stressed the need for “the highest degree of sensitivity and compassion” when discussing SMA, a rare genetic disease. Drugs like Zolgensma, a one-time therapy costing around ₹16 crore, are crucial but unaffordable for most families.
During his show India’s Got Latent, Raina had made remarks about a two-month-old baby’s medical case, joking about the cost of treatment. The comments triggered backlash and police complaints across multiple cities. The court earlier observed that such jokes violate the right to dignity of disabled persons and hinted at possible guidelines on regulating stand-up comedy content online.
Raina has already expressed regret in a written apology to the National Commission for Women (NCW), following outrage over controversial remarks made during the show, which also featured YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia.