In a major relief for comedian Samay Raina, the Supreme Court on Friday quashed all criminal cases registered against him and four others over allegedly insensitive remarks concerning persons with disabilities.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice JV Mohana Prasad took note of the compliance with its earlier directions and ordered the closure of the proceedings.

Raina, along with social media personalities Vipun Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar, had faced multiple FIRs over remarks made during the controversial show India's Got Latent.

The Supreme Court had earlier reprimanded Raina over the remarks and directed him and the other accused to undertake awareness initiatives and raise funds for the welfare of persons with disabilities.

At the previous hearing, the Court had also imposed a cost of ₹3 lakh on Raina and the others, observing that he had failed to honour undertakings given to make amends.

On Friday, however, the Bench appreciated the efforts made by the group, particularly their initiatives and shows organised for the benefit of persons with disabilities.

“Once there are genuine efforts, positive results are bound to be there. They are very bright youngsters. If they have started working in a positive direction, there will be positive output,” the Bench observed.

The Court thereafter proceeded to quash the criminal proceedings arising from the alleged remarks.

The proceedings originated from a petition filed by Cure SMA India Foundation, which alleged that Raina had made insensitive comments regarding the high cost of treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and had allegedly ridiculed a person living with the condition.

The petition also raised objections to remarks made during an episode of India's Got Latent, hosted by Raina, involving other comedians and social media influencers.

The controversial episode was recorded in November and subsequently triggered several criminal complaints against Raina and others over allegations of obscene and insensitive content.

With the Supreme Court now quashing the FIRs, the criminal proceedings arising from the disability-related remarks have come to an end.