The Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) pulled up comedian Samay Raina for failing to comply with its earlier directions to host persons with disabilities on his digital platforms at least twice a month, and to use his platforms to raise awareness and funds for children suffering from rare disorders such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The court imposed costs of ₹3 lakh each on Mr. Raina and four other social media influencers for violating its directions.
“We have no reason to doubt that Samay Raina has taken the court for a ride. He is in brazen violation of statements/ undertakings given before this court,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant observed.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by NGO Cure SMA India Foundation, highlighting offensive remarks made by Mr. Raina and four other social media influencers against persons with disabilities during an online show. In August last year, the court had directed the five persons to publish unconditional apologies and indicate the amount of money they were willing to contribute to atone for their conduct.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan, observed that the “misconduct” had been “compounded” by the assertion that a compliance affidavit had been filed the previous day, when, in fact, no such affidavit had been placed on record. It accordingly imposed costs of ₹3 lakh each on Mr. Raina and fellow internet personalities Sonali Thakkar, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjit Singh Ghai and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for the petitioner NGO, submitted that Mr. Raina had neither contacted the foundation nor reached out to any persons with disabilities to participate in his shows.
Taking serious exception to the submission, the Bench observed, “You should have invited the client represented by Ms. Singh and done the show. Now you are giving the impression that you are trying to buy them out. If you used their disability to showcase your fundamental right to commercial speech... What about their fundamental right to dignity?”
Equality of treatment for Persons with Disabilities
The Chief Justice also reminded the influencers that public life carries with it a corresponding responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect. “In public life, the more you respect others, the more respect you earn. You don’t humiliate people,” he remarked.
The counsel appearing for the comedians assured the Bench that he would impress upon his clients the need to comply with the court’s earlier directions.
The Bench thereafter imposed costs of ₹3 lakh each on the five influencers. Although the court initially indicated that it was inclined to impose costs of ₹10 lakh each, it eventually reduced the amount to ₹3 lakh per person while reiterating its earlier directions.
“If you don’t comply, it will become ₹30 lakh,” the Bench warned.
Earlier, the top court had urged the Union government to formulate a regulatory framework to address online obscenity without veering into censorship, observing that the existing laws, such as the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, were ineffectively implemented.
The Chief Justice had also proposed measures such as stronger age verification, Aadhaar-based gating, before explicit or sensitive content becomes viewable. He had also cautioned that creators “cannot press free speech rights when monetised content offends the dignity of others”.
Published - July 14, 2026 05:31 pm IST