FIRs against Samay Raina over YouTube show cancelled by Supreme Court

FIRs against Samay Raina over YouTube show cancelled by Supreme Court. (File Photo)

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed all FIRs against comedian Samay Raina and four others that had been filed over controversial and insensitive remarks – concerning persons with disabilities – made on stand-up comedy show India’s Got Latent.

In August last year the court had ordered Raina – who hosts the show, India’s Got Latent – and his co-comedians to make an unconditional apology for those remarks, which included mocking people with rare genetic disorders.
The court had warned Raina of strict consequences as it told him to “go apolgoise on your podcasts, etc… then tell us about the cost/penalty you are willing to bear.”

This afternoon a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant noted Raina and the others had complied with the court’s directions.

Accordingly, all cases against them were ordered to be dropped.

The court had on May 5 summoned five influencers and stand-up comedians, including Raina, over the derogatory remarks, and said speech that demeans any group of persons would invite scrutiny.

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 26 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with the daily newspaper, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More