Comedian Samay Raina appears at the Supreme Court
Stand-up comedian Samay Raina, host of India’s Got Latent on YouTube, was before the Supreme Court today on allegations of using abusive language against individuals with disabilities. The case was brought through a petition by the NGO Cure SMA Foundation of India and has raised much controversy about the freedom of comedy and control of content on the internet.
The Supreme Court, led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, called in Raina and a few other comedians such as Vipun Goyal, Sonali Thakkar, Balraj Ghai and Nishant Tanwar after receiving a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by Cure SMA Foundation.
The NGO had accused comedians of making fun of a blind baby with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in India’s Got Latent. The court has asked Raina and others to respond within two weeks, highlighting the gravity of the charge.
The court has further asked to make an in-person appearance in the next hearing without failure, or it will be “viewed seriously.”
The controversy began early this year following complaints after India’s Got Latent was condemned for comments made during an episode, including those directed at parents and a disabled individual.
Outrage from the public forced Raina to take down all the videos temporarily from his YouTube channel. He re-uploaded a couple of episodes in June 2025, which garnered millions of views, but the court case has kept the matter in the limelight.
The case has again raised the question of freedom of speech and creative accountability. While Raina’s classmates cite that humour is argumentative, some critics, including the petitioning NGO, call for tighter regulation of the web to avoid offending content. The final ruling by the Supreme Court can be a precedent for censoring satirical content in India.
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