The Supreme Court has asked five influencers, including comedian and host Samay Raina, to appear in court. This comes after an NGO claimed they mocked people with a rare illness called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) on their show.
A top court bench led by Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh also told the Mumbai Police Commissioner to serve them notices. If they fail to show up, the court warned, action will be taken against them.
The case was filed by the NGO Cure SMA Foundation of India. They want rules made to stop people from posting insulting content online about disabled individuals and those with rare health conditions.
The judges said the video was hurtful and set back efforts to include these people in society. They stressed that making fun of someone’s condition cannot be excused as freedom of speech.
The Supreme Court also called in the Attorney General for advice on what steps could be taken legally. They might consider creating rules that control harmful content like this on social media.
The NGO pointed out that current laws don’t clearly stop such acts. With social media growing every day, they asked the court to help stop this hurtful behavior online.
Overall, the court made it clear: freedom of expression has limits, especially when it harms someone’s dignity. Now, eyes are on the influencers and what the court will do next.