Supreme Court Directs Comedians To Apologise For Insensitive Jokes On Disabilities

The Supreme Court ordered comedians Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Tanwar to publish apologies on YouTube and social media for making insensitive jokes about persons with disabilities.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi held that humor cannot come at the cost of dignity and emphasised that “the degree of repentance should be higher than the degree of offending.”

The Court also asked the Attorney General to draft broad guidelines on free speech and digital content, while noting that penalties may follow. The case is listed for further hearing.

[Ranveer Gautam Allahabadia v. Union of India & Ors] [Ashish Anil Chanchlani v. State of Guwahati & Anr., ] [M/s Cure SMA Foundation of India v. Union of India & Ors.]