The Supreme Court has directed comedian Samay Raina and three others to host monthly fundraising shows for individuals with inspiring stories and disabilities. This order follows controversy over insensitive remarks made on a previous show. The comedians are tasked with featuring differently-abled patients and promoting medical support, a social responsibility rather than a penalty.
Indian comedian Samay Raina has been ordered to host fundraising shows on their platforms for specially-abled individuals who have inspiring stories every month, along with the other three comedians. The judgment stems from the controversy after the comments made by Raina, Vipul Goyal, Sonali Thakkar, Nishant Jagdish Tanwar, and Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai in their previously-famed show, India’s Got Latent.
Supreme Court passes the order for Samay Raina
In the order that was passed on Thursday, the court stated that it expects the content creators to hold the fundraising events at least once or twice until the next hearing. “We hope and expect that such few memorable events will take place before we hear the matter next. It’s a social burden we are putting on you (comedians) not penal burden. You are all well-placed persons in the society. If you have become too popular, then share it with others,” CJI Kant said in the statement, explaining the decision. Moreover, they were asked to feature various differently-abled patients and actively promote fundraising to initiate timely medical support to those in need.
About the controversy
Previously, Cure SMA Foundation filed a plea against the content creators to seek action for making what it described as an ‘insensitive remark.’ Raina had commented about the high cost of the cure, mentioning the one-time cost of gene therapy Zolgensma. After multiple actions were prompted against him, he took down the videos from his channel on YouTube.
About SMA
“Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease affecting the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and voluntary muscle movement (skeletal muscle),” according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Caused by a mutation in gene 1 (SMN1), the disease causes certain muscles in the body to weaken and eventually waste away.
