Supreme Court Calls for Social Media Influencers' Presence Over Mockery of SMA Patients
Supreme Court Calls for Social Media Influencers' Presence Over Mockery of SMA Patients
The Supreme Court on Monday directed five social media influencers, including Samay Raina, the host of "India's Got Latent," to appear in court in response to a petition from the NGO ‘Cure SMA Foundation of India.’ The NGO accused the influencers of mocking individuals with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) on their show.
A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh instructed the Mumbai Commissioner of Police to serve notices to the influencers, warning that failure to appear could result in coercive action. The court also sought the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani to help regulate social media content related to disabled individuals and those with rare disorders.
The bench described the influencers’ actions as “damaging” and “demoralising,” emphasizing the need for serious legal action to prevent such incidents in the future. The court stressed that while freedom of speech is a fundamental right, it cannot be used to insult others, particularly people with disabilities, and considered creating guidelines for social media content concerning these individuals.