SC orders Samay Raina, other influencers to submit reply to petition over remarks allegedly ridiculing disabled persons

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered 'India's Got Latent' host Samay Raina and four other influencers to file their replies to petition in a case over alleged remarks ridiculing disabled persons within two weeks.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi recorded the presence of the Raina along with Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakar aka Sonali Aditya Desai, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwaron, while ordering them to appear in-person once again on the next hearing date.

The top court granted exemption to influencer Thakkar to appear virtually on the next date of hearing due to a physical condition.


The bench said social media influencers will have to file their replies in two weeks and no further extension will be granted to them and that their absence on the next date of hearing will be viewed seriously.

Further, the top court asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, to prepare social media guidelines by keeping balance of freedom of speech and expression and rights and duties of the others.

The bench noted that freedom of one person should not violate the rights of others and flagged that enforceability of these guidelines is the most difficult part.

On May 5, the top court directed the five social media influencers, to appear before it or face coercive action after a plea alleged that they ridiculed persons suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disorder, and also those suffering from other disabilities on their show.