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The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed comedian Samay Raina, India's Got Latent host, saying he has "taken the court for a ride" and has brazenly violated the orders of the court, while imposing Rs three lakh cost for not complying with the court's previous direction.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also imposed a Rs three lakh fine on four others and granted two weeks time to them to file compliance affidavits, warning that coercive action would be initiated if they failed to comply. The bench further said that Raina had attempted to justify the delay by claiming that a compliance affidavit had been filed, whereas no such affidavit was on record. "We have no reason to believe that Samay Raina has taken the court for a ride and has brazenly violated the orders of this court. The misconduct is further compounded stating that an affidavit is filed when nothing is on record. Thus, we impose a cost of Rs three lakhs to be deposited within 2 weeks," said the CJI. The apex was hearing a petition filed by Cure SMA India Foundation accusing Raina of insensitive remarks over the high cost of treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Raina is also alleged to have made insensitive remarks on the show about persons with disabilities. During the hearing, the bench was told that Raina failed to comply with the undertakings given to the court that he would invite specially abled persons to his show. Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, appearing for SMA Foundation, said that despite the court's earlier directions, Raina had neither contacted the Foundation nor persons suffering from SMA. "I don't know what kind of an icon he is for the youth... I shudder to think", Singh said. To this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta responded, "Our youth has better icons..." Mehta objected to Raina's hosting India's Got Latent Season 2 by hanging "nimbu-mirchi" (to protect the show from bad fortune). "Recently, he started a new show. He said now at the beginning, I am doing something which I didn't do in the last series. He hangs nimbu and mirchi. He did not name anyone, but it was very clear what is he targeting or speaking," SG said. SG Mehta also objected to the use of the words "disabled persons" in Raina's affidavits, and that the appropriate words to use are "specially abled persons". CJI Surya Kant said, "In public life, the more you respect others, the more respect you earn. You don't humiliate people." Referring to Raina's conduct, the CJI added, "They think sitting outside the country, they are beyond jurisdiction. Let them suffer now. If this is not arrogance, then we have to change the Oxford dictionary also." Initially, the bench imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on them but eventually reduced it to Rs three lakh each. (ANI)
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