The Supreme Court on Tuesday imposed a ₹3 lakh fine on comedian Samay Raina, observing that he had allegedly misled the court and failed to comply with earlier directions issued in a case related to remarks on persons with disabilities. The apex court directed Raina to deposit the amount within two weeks, warning that coercive action would follow if he failed to comply.

The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice J.V. Mohana while hearing petitions linked to the controversy surrounding the online comedy show India’s Got Latent.

Court Says Raina Misled Proceedings

Expressing strong displeasure, the bench remarked that there were sufficient grounds to believe that Raina had "taken the court for a ride" by making incorrect statements and filing an affidavit that was not supported by facts.

The judges observed that the alleged misconduct became more serious because the court had earlier relied on assurances given by the comedian while passing directions intended to promote awareness about disabilities.

Case Linked to Disability Remarks

The matter stems from a petition filed by the Cure SMA Foundation, which accused Raina of making insensitive comments about Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and the high cost of treatment for children suffering from the rare genetic disorder.

The foundation has sought guidelines for regulating online content that allegedly violates the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that despite earlier assurances, Raina had neither contacted the foundation nor invited specially-abled individuals to participate in his comedy shows.

Earlier Court Directions Not Followed

In November 2025, the Supreme Court had directed Raina and other stand-up comedians associated with the case to organise at least two fundraising events every month for a corpus supporting treatment of persons with disabilities.

The court had also instructed them to encourage participation of specially-abled persons in these programmes.

During Tuesday's hearing, the petitioner argued that these directions had not been implemented despite repeated assurances.

Solicitor General Raises Fresh Concerns

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also questioned Raina's conduct before the court. He referred to one of the comedian's recent performances in which Raina allegedly joked about the ongoing legal proceedings by mentioning "nimbu-mirchi" at the beginning of his show.

Mehta said he decided to raise the issue after learning that Raina had not complied with the court's earlier directions regarding the Cure SMA Foundation.

The bench subsequently directed Raina to deposit the monetary penalty within two weeks.

Background: India's Got Latent Controversy

The controversy began in February last year after an episode of India's Got Latent, hosted by Samay Raina, featured content creator Ranveer Allahbadia making an obscene remark during the show.

The clip went viral on social media, triggering widespread criticism and multiple police complaints against those associated with the programme. Following the backlash, Allahbadia publicly apologised, while Raina removed all episodes of the show from YouTube.

The present proceedings also involve petitions filed by content creators Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani, along with the Cure SMA Foundation.

Remarks on SMA Treatment Triggered Separate Case

Apart from the India's Got Latent controversy, Raina also faced criticism for comments made during a stand-up performance about the ₹16-crore treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

During the routine, he joked about the financial burden of the treatment and made remarks involving a hypothetical family situation. Disability rights groups described the comments as insensitive and disrespectful towards patients and their families, leading to legal proceedings before the Supreme Court.

With Tuesday's order, the apex court has made it clear that compliance with judicial directions is mandatory and that misleading the court may invite financial penalties and further legal consequences.