The Supreme Court has expressed grave concern over recent taunts by comedian Samay Raina that are purported to mock individuals with disabilities, including those afflicted with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The court stated it was “really disturbed” by the remarks, particularly those targeting a two-month-old infant who requires a ₹16 lakh injection to remain alive.
Raina is already in the limelight following comments during another comedian Ranveer Allahbadia’s bit on ‘India’s Got Latent.’ The court will hear these latest remarks in a separate hearing.
Justice Surya Kant observed, “We are actually perturbed by the allegations. We place such cases on record. implead the concerned individuals. propose remedies. Then we will see.” This was the reaction after an intervention application was moved by the Cure SMA Foundation of India, which brought to the fore the sky-high prices of drugs needed to treat SMA.
Such treatments include Zolgensma, one-time gene therapy that will cost approximately ₹16 crore. The foundation stated that not many people in India are able to bear the expenses for such treatments, so in general, public fundraising is often the only recourse left for poor families.
The core appeal of the foundation is to the court to direct the issuing of rules that include derogatory and ableist messages for people with disabilities and how they are treated. They make an appeal to be sensitive and empathetic when it comes to naming such life-threatening medical conditions, relegating Raina’s comments as insensitive and detrimental to the public’s perception.
In his act, Raina downplayed a “charity case” of the infant by stating, “A two-month-old baby needs a ₹16 crore shot.” He further created discomfort by asking a woman in the audience what she would do if such a sum appeared in her bank account, hinting at downplaying of the event.
Comments from Raina towards a blind man have also attracted criticism. He reportedly asked, “Which of your eyes shall I look into?” and commented as if you should look at “God’s eyes.”
The petitioners condemned such jokes as one of the alarming tendencies on social media, where individuals with disabilities are constantly ridiculed or treated as objects of fun. The foundation pointed out that the right to free speech does not include careless brushing aside of serious issues as a “satire.”
