PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed all criminal cases registered against comedian Samay Raina and four others over alleged insensitive jokes about persons with disabilities on the show India’s Got Latent.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, passed the order after taking note of the efforts made by Raina and the other accused to comply with the court’s earlier directions.

The court had asked them to organise awareness programmes and raise funds for persons with disabilities.

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The Supreme Court appreciated the work done by Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, also known as Sonali Aditya Desai, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar.

The judges observed that genuine efforts can lead to positive results and noted that the accused had started working in a constructive direction.

The court also praised their efforts to organise shows for persons with disabilities. The criminal proceedings against the five accused have now been quashed.

However, the Supreme Court will continue to examine the larger issue surrounding online and comedy content involving persons with disabilities.

The court is expected to consider suggestions from people with disabilities before issuing possible directions to improve checks on such content.

What happened on India’s Got Latent?

The controversy relates to an episode of India’s Got Latent that was recorded on November 14, 2024, and released later. The episode triggered widespread criticism over alleged obscene and insensitive comments made during the show. Following the controversy, several people associated with the episode faced criminal cases in different parts of the country.

Among those facing legal action was YouTuber and podcast host Ranveer Allahabadia, popularly known as Beer Biceps.

Allahabadia had approached the Supreme Court seeking relief in the cases registered against him. His matter is still pending before the top court. The Supreme Court had earlier granted him interim protection from arrest.

For Samay Raina and the four other accused, however, the criminal proceedings have now come to an end with the court quashing the FIRs.

Supreme Court to examine wider issue

While giving relief to the five accused, the Supreme Court made it clear that the broader issue will continue to be considered. The court will look at ways to ensure that content involving persons with disabilities is handled more responsibly and may issue directions after hearing suggestions from affected groups.