New Delhi, August 25 (HS): The Supreme Court on Monday directed stand-up comedians and influencers Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Ghai, Sonali Thakker, and Nishant Tanwar to publicly apologize on their YouTube channels for mocking persons with disabilities and people suffering from severe medical conditions in one of their comedy shows. The order was passed by a bench led by Justice Surya Kant.
All five appeared before the court as directed, with Sonali Thakker joining through video conferencing. The bench also asked the Union government to frame comprehensive guidelines for social media platforms to balance the right to free expression with accountability of digital content creators. The court underlined that such rules should not merely address this single controversy but should serve as a broader regulatory framework for the future.
The petition was filed by Cure SMA India Foundation, which alleged that Raina and others made offensive remarks targeting persons with disabilities. It sought regulatory measures to prevent online content violating the dignity and rights of differently-abled individuals.
Earlier, the apex court had also reprimanded content creator Ranveer Allahbadia in connection with India’s Got Talent, before granting relief after he submitted an undertaking to uphold ethical standards.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
