Trouble mounts for Samay Raina as Supreme Court flags jokes on people with disabilities

In a fresh development that could add to legal troubles for stand-up comedian and India’s Got Latent host, Samay Raina, the Supreme Court on Monday said that it would examine a plea alleging he ridiculed the disabled, including a person with visual disability and those suffering from a rare disorder like Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

The plea alleged that comedian Samay Raina ridiculed the disabled during his show.

The apex called it a 'serious issue' while urging senior advocate Aprajita Singh, representing the NGO Cure SMA Foundation of India, to file a formal writ petition rather than an interim plea in a related case involving YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.

"This is a serious issue. You file a writ petition. We will see what can be done. In writ jurisdiction, we have a larger scope," the bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh told Singh.