Supreme Court imposes Rs 3 lakh cost on comedian Samay Raina, four others for failing to honour undertaking
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday imposed a cost of Rs 3 lakh each on standup comedian Samay Raina and four others for failing to conduct a show highlighting the achievements of persons with disabilities, as they had earlier undertaken to the court.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard a plea by the NGO Cure SMA Foundation, which had earlier objected to Raina's comments mocking individuals with disabilities. Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for the NGO, informed the court that the comedians had reneged on their undertaking. She said they had filed affidavits stating they could not invite NGO members to their show because they lacked contact details, and had instead offered donations.
“We do not need their donations. The NGO is a body of well-accomplished parents whose children suffer from the rare spinal muscular atrophy disease, whose treatment is very expensive. We do not want to participate in their show when they have such an arrogant attitude,” Singh said.
The bench expressed serious displeasure with Raina, accusing him of breaching his own undertaking. “The way he is treating persons with physical disabilities, what kind of youth icon is he?” the bench asked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, supported the NGO, stating that India's youth have better icons and that Raina could at best be described as a self-proclaimed social media influencer. Mehta referred to a recent show where Raina used stringed lemons and chillies, which appeared to mock the court.
The court initially proposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Raina but later reduced it to Rs 3 lakh. It also imposed a cost of Rs 3 lakh each on the other four comedians: Vipul Goyal, Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakur, and Nishat Jagdish Tanwar. They have been ordered to pay the amount within two weeks.
“We had shown leniency earlier. Instead of cashing in on it, you audaciously breached the undertaking. As an artist, you are in public life and who other than you can understand what respect and dignity mean. You must respect people with disabilities and their talents,” the Chief Justice said.
The court also warned that none of the comedians should assume they can say or do anything while based abroad.
