On Tuesday, the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure with popular comedian Chama Raina. The court said that Raina cheated the court by lying and breaking promises. The court also fined Raina and four other comedians Vipul Goel, Balraj Ghai, Sonali Thakkar and Nishant Tanwar Rs 3 lakh each. They have been directed to pay the money within the next two weeks and warned of increased penalties if they do not pay on time.
During the hearing, court assistant Aparajita Singh also questioned Sama Raina’s public image. He told the court that while Raina was doing various events but did not interact with the SMA Foundation or people affected by the disease as per the court order. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also expressed displeasure with the reply filed by Raina at the time and wanted to know why such a reply was given after so long.
The controversy began after the first season of the YouTube show India’s Got Latent made offensive comments about visually impaired children and children suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. Several people petitioned the Supreme Court against it. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Jayamalya Bagchi and Justice JV Mohaner ordered the five comedians to tender a public apology. It has also ordered two special comedy shows every month to raise funds for the treatment of children with SMA.
The court warned that if they disobeyed the order, the fine could be increased from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. Controversy began in 2025 after two episodes aired on YouTube that poked fun at physically challenged people. Outrage erupted across the country and courts issued summonses to the comedians. The Chief Justice also discussed with the government the possibility of enacting a special law to stop such insults in the future. Although the comedians issued a joint statement in October 2025 expressing regret for their mistake, the court was not satisfied with their subsequent activities and handed down a harsh sentence.