New Delhi, August 25: The Supreme Court on Monday directed five social media influencers, including comedian and “India’s Got Latent” host Samay Raina, to issue unconditional apologies on their podcasts or shows for mocking people with disabilities and rare genetic disorders.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi observed that freedom of speech and expression cannot extend to commercial speech that hurts the sentiments of vulnerable communities. The court asked the Centre to frame guidelines regulating offensive content that targets disabled persons, women, children, and senior citizens.
The influencers stand accused of making derogatory remarks against individuals with conditions such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and visual impairment. While comedian Sonali Thakkar, also known as Sonali Aditya Desai, was exempted from appearing in person after assuring the court that an apology would be broadcast during her programme, the other four were present before the Bench.
The judges also rebuked Raina, stating that his affidavit of apology appeared insincere, as he initially attempted to defend himself instead of taking responsibility. The court said it would consider imposing penalties on the influencers at a later stage.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani was told that any regulatory framework for social media should not be a knee-jerk reaction to a single incident but should be drafted on broad principles with input from all stakeholders.
The matter stems from a July 15 directive, when the Supreme Court summoned the five influencers after a petition sought action against them for ridiculing persons with disabilities.
