Popular comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina testified before the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the Supreme Court this week, months after he was called to testify over content in his YouTube series India’s Got Latent that has been deemed controversial. The case concerns allegations of s*xist and sensitive comments during the program, which saw public outcry and legal proceedings earlier this year.
Samay Raina Appears Before Supreme Court
Samay Raina and four other social media personalities are currently under legal process having been accused in a petition of bullying persons with disabilities, including those with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The offending statements were reportedly uttered on an episode of India’s Got Latent, a YouTube-hosted comedy program that was subsequently removed from the site.
On Tuesday, Samay Raina also submitted his written statement to the NCW in Delhi. Further action will be taken on his statement. The commission had previously served notices to Raina and other participants after there were widespread objections over content that was seen to be offensive to women and individuals with disabilities.
The controversy first erupted after clips from the show began circulating online, leading to widespread outrage. Several viewers pointed out that the content trivialised serious issues, including sexual violence and physical disabilities. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell also registered an FIR, while the NCW took suo motu cognisance of the matter.
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First called in February, Samay Raina had not attended the previous hearings, citing security and foreign travel issues. Following public outcry and pressure from the courts, the NCW reconvened the appearance to allow due process.
At the same time, the Supreme Court, during its recent hearing, pressed on the gravity of the matter. A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed each of the five influencers to respond in writing within a fortnight. The court threatened not to entertain any further delays and directed their physical attendance at the subsequent hearing. Sonali Thakkar (aka Sonali Aditya Desai) alone was permitted to attend the hearing virtually because of health issues.
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