The Supreme Court on Friday, August 14, directed the closure of criminal proceedings against comedian Samay Raina and four others in connection with the India’s Got Latent issue.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and JV Mohana also directed that all other proceedings in the matter be set aside. The court noted that Raina and the others had complied with its earlier directions to conduct awareness programmes and raise funds for persons with disabilities.

The matter relates to remarks made during the first season of India’s Got Latent, which led to legal proceedings against Raina and others.

On July 14, the Supreme Court had imposed a cost of ₹3 lakh on Raina, observing that he had made false statements before the court and failed to comply with its earlier directions. The bench had directed him to deposit the amount within two weeks and warned of coercive action in case of non-compliance.

During that hearing, the court said it had reason to believe that Raina had “taken the court for a ride” and had violated its orders. It also noted that the alleged misconduct was compounded by a statement that an affidavit had been filed when, according to the court, nothing was on record.

Earlier, on November 27, 2025, the Supreme Court had directed Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar and Nishant Jagadish Tanwar to host at least two programmes every month highlighting the achievements of persons with disabilities and help generate funds for their treatment, particularly for those suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The directions were issued as a form of reparation over what the court termed insensitive jokes about persons with disabilities.