Comedian Samay Raina appears to have found himself in controversy once again. During an episode of India's Got Latent, Samay made remark on a two-month-old Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) patient needing a Rs. 16 crore injection. His comment prompted the Cure SMA Foundation to raise concerns in court. In response, the Supreme Court on Thursday has directed Samay and four other content creators (Vipul Goyal, Sonali Thakkar, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar), to help organise two fundraising events every month for persons with disabilities, including individuals living with SMA.
Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, said "We hope and expect that such few memorable events will take place before we hear the matter next. It's a social burden we are putting on you (comedians) not penal burden. You are all well-placed persons in the society. If you have become too popular, then share it with others (sic)," as per TOI.
The bench further directed the comedians to highlight success stories of differently-abled individuals. They also suggested that the five comedians feature specially-abled persons on their platforms and actively promote fundraising efforts to support timely medical treatment.
The Supreme Court expressed hope that Samay and the others would organise one or two such events before their next appearance in court.
This directive came in response to a plea filed by the Cure SMA Foundation, which sought action against Samay and other comedians for making an 'insensitive remark' about SMA patients.
In an episode of India’s Got Latent, Samay referenced the one-time cost of the gene therapy Zolgensma and joked about how a mother might react if Rs.16 crore suddenly appeared in her husband's bank account.
What Is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?
Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA is a rare genetic disorder that is caused by a mutation of in the SMN1 gene (survival motor neuron gene 1), as per Cure SMA. The SMN1 gene produces a protein that is critical for the nerves that control muscles. In the case of SMA patients, reduced production of this protein leads to impaired muscle function and progressive muscle weakness.
