Supreme Court asks government to consider a law against ridicule of PwDs

The Supreme Court on Thursday suggested the Center to consider passing a strict law in line with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to punish acts or statements that demean or ridicule persons with disabilities (PwDs) or rare medical disorders.

“Why not bring a stringent law similar to the SC/ST Atrocities Act against insulting people with special disabilities?” Chief Justice Surya Kant asked the Centre’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

The court’s question focused on the need to protect people with disabilities from online abuse.

The Bench was hearing a petition filed by SMA Cure Foundation rejecting statements made by ‘India’s Got Latent’ host Samay Raina and other social media influencers against disabled people. The petitioner Foundation, represented by senior advocate Aparajita Singh, works for people affected by the rare disorder Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

The court protected the YouTube presenter and his entourage from all kinds of punitive measures, but reminded him that he had a responsibility to society.

Bench decided to capitalize on their online popularity and use it to raise funds for the treatment of people with disabilities, especially those with SMA.

The bench observed that they conduct programs or shows on success stories of people with special disabilities at least twice a month, even inviting them to share the platform until the next date of hearing, terming it as social punishment for making insensitive jokes about disabled people.