English
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, 25 August 2025, reprimanded famous stand-up comedians, including Samay Raina, for making insensitive jokes about the disabled. The court clearly said that comedians should apologise publicly, not only in court but also on their social media platforms.
The bench of Justice Suryakant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made this remark during the hearing on the petition filed by SMA Cure Foundation. In the petition, YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, stand-up comedian Samay Raina, Vipun Goyal, Balraj Parmarjit Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar have been accused of making fun of the disabled. The lawyer appearing on their behalf said that everyone has apologized for their actions. On this, the court told the comedians, “The apology you have given in the court, give the same on your social media as well.”
Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, “Comedy is well taken, and it is an integral part of life; we laugh at ourselves. But when we start laughing at others and hurt sensitivities, when humour arises at the community level, it becomes a problem. And this is what today’s so-called influential people should keep in mind.
“They are commercializing speech. The community should not be used to hurt the sentiments of a particular class. This is not only freedom of expression, but commercial speech.”
On this, Aparajita Singh said that there is a provision for self-regulation under the IT rules. On this, the judge said, “I am not talking about curbing freedom of expression. There should just be guidelines that you do not do this. The guidelines talk about accessibility; we are talking about dignity here.”
At the same time, Justice Suryakant said that you have to suffer consequences in proportion to the harm you cause. Just because you are a disabled person. You have been made fun of; where is the dignity here?
Justice Suryakant said, “This should not be a reaction to just one incident. It should be comprehensive so that future challenges can also be dealt with. Balance between both rights and duties is necessary. Today it is about the disabled. Next time it may be about women, senior citizens, children, where will it end?
Justice Suryakant said that you have to suffer consequences in proportion to the harm you cause. Just because you are a disabled person. You have been made fun of; where is the dignity here?
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