The Supreme Court has ordered five comedians who are well-known on social media, such as Samay Raina, to make public apologies on their YouTube channels for whatever it described as “insensitive” jokes at the expense of people with disabilities. The decision has attracted widespread attention to the comedians’ material and the limits of humor in online media.
Who Are the Comedians Under SC’s Wrath?
Together with Samay Raina, the order of the apex court holds. for Vipul Goyal, Balraj Ghai, Nishant Tanwar, and Sonali Thakkar aka Sonali Aditya Desai. The petition against them mentioned a host of instances of insulting humour, especially about Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a congenital abnormality.
The court also asked how such content has a social implication, with Justice Surya Kant saying: “Today it is disabled, tomorrow something else. How will society be affected… where will all this end?” The case is scheduled to be heard further in November.
Samay Raina: From Comicstaan to Controversy
Samay Raina, 2019 Comicstaan 2 winner, built his fan base doing stand-up, live performances, and chess streams with legends such as Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. His YouTube channel, which has more than 7 million subscribers, was a hotspot for experiential content.
But his talent show parody India’s Got Latent attracted criticism for “dank” humor and black jokes. The criticism reached its peak when he made a joke on whether the parents of an SMA child would spend the ₹16 crore they collected on treatment or change their mind, joking that, “The child may die anyway.” The joke sparked the petition to reach the Supreme Court.
Vipul Goyal: IITian-Turned-Comic
Vipul Goyal, a graduate of IIT Bombay, is popularly known for his role in TVF’s Humorously Yours and has been active in the stand-up circuit for more than a decade. He worked with Raina on a regular basis on India’s Got Latent. His name figured in the petition for joking on disability-related matters during the episodes of the show.
Balraj Ghai, whose family owns Mumbai comedy club popular with audiences, was co-hosting India’s Got Latent with Raina. Though a professional comic by vocation, his role as judge and panelist had put him under the spotlight. The venue itself was vandalised earlier this year following a backlash against objectionable episodes.
Nishant Tanwar and Sonali Thakkar
Nishant Tanwar, or Joke Singh, gained fame after his 2018 Amazon Prime special Dilli Se Hoon B@!&#%D*. A man of foul language, he too appeared in the controversial show episodes.
Sonali Thakkar, or Sonali Aditya Desai, who gave up being an accountant to become a stand-up comic, also had her name included in the petition, charged with indulging in insensitive jokes.
The SC’s call to apologise has reopened arguments about free expression, responsible comedy, and the moral limits of humour. With the next hearing scheduled for November, the case has the potential to set a precedent on how Indian courts weigh creative freedom against sensitivity to vulnerable groups.
