In a significant move blending social justice with creative responsibility, the Supreme Court of India has issued a directive to prominent comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina and three other comedians. The court has instructed them to organize special shows featuring persons with disabilities who have inspiring success stories, with the primary goal of raising funds for the timely and effective treatment of disabled individuals.
The Petition That Sparked the Directive
This judicial intervention came after the Cure SMA Foundation, a charitable trust run by parents of affected children, filed a plea. The foundation sought action against comedians for making insensitive remarks targeting people with disabilities. In their submission, they highlighted a specific program hosted by Samay Raina where children were ridiculed, urging the court to examine the content.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, presiding over the matter, noted that senior advocate Aparajita Singh had presented a note detailing the success stories of individuals who were subjects of the inappropriate YouTube shows created by some content creators.
A Social, Not Penal, Responsibility
The court emphasized that it was imposing a social burden, not a penal one, on the comedians. CJI Kant acknowledged that the respondents are well-established and popular figures in society and should use their influence for a positive cause.
We hope and expect that such few memorable events will take place before we hear the matter next, the CJI stated. It's a social burden we are putting on you (comedians) not penal burden. You are all well-placed persons in the society. If you have become too popular, then share it with others.
The court also recorded the comedians' proposal to organize at least two such fundraising events per month. They have sought the court's permission to invite the individuals with inspiring success stories to their shows, a request the court has left to their discretion to pursue for the cause of generating funds.
Background of the Comedy Controversy
The court's involvement was triggered by multiple instances where comedy platforms allegedly featured derogatory comments. A key incident occurred on the show India's Got Latent. In its sixth episode, contestant Santosh Patra delivered jokes that were widely perceived as demeaning to people with disabilities.
The situation was exacerbated when the judges on the show initially approved these remarks, leading to significant online backlash. Another contestant, Banti Banerjee, who won the tenth episode, also stirred controversy. Her act included jokes considered offensive, including personal attacks on public figures and insensitive remarks about actress Deepika Padukone's past battle with depression and experiences with motherhood.
Host Samay Raina's initial reaction to the online outrage, where he asked critics to comment on his YouTube channel to generate ad revenue, further fueled the controversy. This series of events ultimately led to the legal petition and the Supreme Court's landmark directive, aiming to channel the platform's popularity towards a constructive and charitable purpose.
