SC Pulls Up Comedians For Disability Jokes

The Supreme Court on Monday rapped several comedians, including Samay Raina, for their “insensitive jokes" mocking persons with disabilities in their stand-up shows and asked them to apologise on their social media accounts as well.

The top court’s remarks came while hearing a plea filed by SMA Cure Foundation, which accused comedians Samay Raina, Vipun Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar of “insensitive jokes" for differently abled people.

“Apology you tendered before the court, give the same before your social media too," a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told the comedians. The plea was listed with the cases of Ranveer Allahabadia and Ashish Chanchlani, who sought clubbing of FIRs against them at different places in connection with Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent controversy.

During the course of the hearing, Justice Bagchi observed that the influencers are “commercialising speech" and the community should not be utilised to hurt the sentiments of others.

“Humor is well taken and is a part of life. We laugh at ourselves. But when we start laughing at others and create a breach of sensibility…on a community plane, when humor is generated, it becomes problematic. And this is what so-called influencers of today should bear in mind. They are commercializing speech. The community at large should not be utilized to hurt the sentiments of certain sections. It’s not only freedom of speech, it’s commercial speech," the judge said.

The counsel for the comedians informed the court that they have tendered an unconditional apology. “Next time, tell us how much penalty we should impose on you," Justice Kant asked.

“We leave it to your lordships. It should go for the benefit of disabled groups," the counsel said. “Today it’s about the disabled, next time it can be women, senior citizens, children…where will this end?" Justice Kant said.

The court order said that the counsel for the respondent undertakes that each one of them will post an apology on their YouTube channel, etc.