More trouble for Samay Raina: SC 'disturbed' by disability jokes
What's the story
Comedian Samay Raina has landed in more trouble after the Supreme Court of India flagged his controversial comments mocking an infant suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Hearing an intervention application by the Cure SMA Foundation of India, the Apex Court was "really disturbed" by Raina's comments.
The court will now hear the case regarding the jokes separately.
This comes when Raina is already embroiled in the India's Got Latent controversy.
Controversy
What had Raina said?
In a stand-up comedy video, Raina had referenced a "charity case" of a two-month-old baby needing an injection worth ₹16 crore.
He asked an audience member, "Ma'am, you tell me... if you were that mother and one day ₹16 crore appeared in your bank account...while you had a two-month-old...wouldn't you at least look at your husband once and say...'Hmmm... inflation is rising.'"
The application claims Raina mocked people suffering from SMA in two videos, alongside ridiculing blind and cross-eyed individuals.
Court's intervention
Petition also brought focus to high prices of SMA drugs
Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court expressed his concern over the allegations against Raina.
"We are really disturbed by the allegations. We place such instances on record... implead the concerned persons... suggest measures. Then we will see," he said.
The Cure SMA Foundation of India also asked the court to consider the high prices of drugs used to treat SMA.
Legal request
Foundation's plea for regulation of derogatory content
The Cure SMA Foundation of India has urged the court to direct the government to include provisions in a proposed regulatory framework to "regulate any derogatory, denigrating, ableist, and/or belittling content against persons with disability, their diseases, and their treatment options."
The foundation stressed the need for sensitivity and compassion while dealing with persons suffering from SMA.
Notably, Zolgensma, a one-time gene therapy, actually does cost around ₹16 crore.