GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 14, imposed a fine of ₹3 lakh on stand-up comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina for violating its earlier directions in a case related to remarks about persons with disabilities.
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A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana observed that Raina had failed to invite persons with disabilities to his shows, despite a previous court direction requiring him to do so.
The Court said it had reason to believe Raina had "taken the court for a ride" and imposed the fine, directing him to deposit the amount within two weeks.
The matter stems from a petition filed by Cure SMA India Foundation, which alleged that Raina made insensitive remarks about Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and mocked a person with the condition.
In an earlier order, the Supreme Court had directed Raina and four others to organise at least two events every month to raise funds for persons with disabilities and encourage their participation in the programmes.
During Tuesday's hearing, the petitioner informed the Court that Raina had not contacted any persons with disabilities to participate in his shows. Although Raina's counsel said around ₹9 lakh had been raised through the events, the Court stressed that compliance with its directions was equally important.
The Bench also warned that failure to comply with its earlier directions in the future could result in the penalty increasing to ₹30 lakh.