Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 14: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed the criminal proceedings against comedian Samay Raina and four others over remarks concerning persons with disabilities, taking note of their subsequent efforts to promote awareness, dignity and support for people with disabilities.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also appreciated Raina and the others for organising a chess tournament for persons with disabilities and supporting organisations working for their welfare, including those assisting people affected by rare diseases such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
Besides Raina, the court quashed the FIRs and criminal proceedings against comedians and social media influencers Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar.
"Once there are genuine efforts, positive results are bound to be there," the bench observed.
"They are very bright youngsters. If they have started working in the positive direction, they will bring positive results," the judges added.
The court was hearing pleas, including one filed by the SMA Cure Foundation, which works for people affected by the rare SMA disease. The foundation had raised concerns over jokes made by Raina, host of "India's Got Latent", and the other influencers.
Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for the foundation, told the court that the influencers had made genuine efforts following the Supreme Court's earlier directions and had engaged with the foundation.
"This matter was going nowhere till this court took a very strong stand last time," Singh said.
While quashing the FIRs and related proceedings, the bench said the matter concerning the five influencers stood closed. However, the court said it would consider the larger issue of issuing comprehensive directions to protect the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.
Chief Justice Surya Kant also spoke about an interaction he and other judges had with a delegation of persons with disabilities on Thursday.
"It was quite a learning and an eye-opener for us also," the CJI said, adding that the court had requested the delegation to submit its suggestions.
The 20-member delegation included Paralympians and individuals from different fields, including Nidhi Mishra, Ankur Dhama, Major D P Singh and Chhonzin Angmo.
During Friday's hearing, the bench noted that the influencers had engaged in meaningful discussions with the SMA Cure Foundation and were willing to invite people suffering from SMA to their shows.
The court was also informed that more programmes were planned to raise funds for people affected by the disease.
In November last year, Raina and the other influencers had volunteered before the Supreme Court to organise at least two events every month, either online or in person, to raise funds for a corpus intended to provide financial assistance to people suffering from SMA.
The Supreme Court's decision brings an end to the criminal proceedings against the five influencers while keeping open the broader question of measures required to safeguard the dignity of persons with disabilities.