Supreme Court summons Samay Raina, other social media influencers over alleged mockery of rare disorder

New Delhi, May 05: The Supreme Court on Monday called for the personal appearance of five social media influencers, including India’s Got Latent host Samay Raina, following a petition filed by the NGO Cure SMA Foundation of India. 

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The NGO alleged that the influencers mocked individuals affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder, during one of their online shows.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh directed the Mumbai Commissioner of Police to issue notices to the five individuals, ensuring their presence before the court. The bench warned that failure to comply could lead to coercive measures.

The court also requested the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani in addressing broader concerns raised in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), particularly regarding the regulation of social media content that targets individuals with disabilities or rare medical conditions.

Describing the alleged remarks as "damaging" and "demoralising," the bench stressed the need for both remedial and punitive measures within the legal framework to prevent similar incidents.

“This is very, very damaging and demoralising,” the court observed. “There are statutes aimed at integrating such individuals into the mainstream, and a single incident can undermine that entire effort. Some serious action must be considered.”

The justices further noted that while the right to freedom of speech and expression is constitutionally protected, it is not absolute. They emphasised that this right cannot be used to degrade or demean others, and indicated a possible move toward drafting guidelines to regulate social media content involving persons with disabilities and rare disorders.