Supreme Court Summons Samay Raina, Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar, Sonali Thakar, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai For Mocking Disabled People

Comedians Samay Raina, Nishant Jagdsish Tanwar, Sonali Thakar, Vipul Goyal and Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai arrived at the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case related to mocking people with disabilities, including those with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This was the second time they were summoned by the apex court. The matter was taken up by a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The bench asked the comedians to file their responses and granted them two weeks, cautioning that there would be no further extensions if they failed to file the reply. The bench further told them that their in-person appearance is mandatory in the next hearing, else they will face serious consequences.

"What we are doing is for posterity. What we do should not be misused by anyone; you have to ensure that, too. There has to be a balance. We have to protect citizens' rights. But the framework has to be there so that the dignity of anyone is not violated," said Justice Surya Kant.

The court then stated that while freedom of expression is fundamental, it cannot come at the cost of violating other people's rights. The bench asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to work on social media guidelines which are in conformity with constitutional principles, comprising both parts - freedom, where the limit of that freedom ends, and where duties start.

Meanwhile, disability rights activists welcomed the court's decision and said, "We are not against comedy, but using disability as a punchline reinforces stigma. It’s high time society recognises this."

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