FIRs against Samay Raina over YouTube show cancelled by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court dismissed all five FIRs against comedian Samay Raina and his co-hosts, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Tanwar, on Friday. The decision came after the Chief Justice Surya Kant-led bench recognized their attempts to raise awareness about treating persons with disabilities with dignity. The court had initially fined Raina Rs 3 lakh for not complying with its directives.

In August last year, the court had ordered the comedian and his co-hosts to make an unconditional apology for their insensitive remarks, which targeted persons with disabilities during their stand-up comedy show, India's Got Latent. The court warned Raina of severe consequences and urged him to apologize publicly on his podcasts and other platforms.

The court emphasized that the degree of repentance should be greater than the offense, comparing it to purging contempt. The case emerged from a petition filed by the SMA Cure Foundation, which accused the five influencers and stand-up comedians, including Raina, of making derogatory jokes about persons with disabilities during a show aired in November.

The court summoned the five individuals on May 5, emphasizing that speech demeaning any group would be subject to strict scrutiny. As part of the court's order, Raina was also tasked with hosting fundraisers on his platform for specially-abled individuals and inspiring people. This case followed another controversy involving YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia and his remarks on India's Got Latent.