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Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Madras High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail, fearing arrest over remarks allegedly targeting Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his show.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Madras High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail, fearing arrest over remarks allegedly targeting Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his show. The comic has challenged the First Information Report (FIR) against him, calling it a “frivolous complaint” designed to “harass, intimidate, and censor an artist” for exercising his constitutional right to free speech.
His petition, filed via the e-filing system late Thursday night, was mentioned for urgent hearing before Justice Sundar Mohan by his counsel V Suresh. The court has listed the case for hearing at the end of its board.
Kamra, who has been residing in rural Tamil Nadu since February 2021, has sought inter-state anticipatory bail for a few weeks, citing multiple public holidays next month and his fears for personal safety. He claimed he has received serious threats to his life and his loved ones, making it unsafe for him to travel to Mumbai on March 31.
The Mumbai Police's Khar station had earlier summoned Kamra to appear for questioning on March 25, but he had requested a week’s extension.
The FIR against Kamra stems from a parody performance where he allegedly altered lyrics from a popular 1997 Bollywood song to make jabs at Shinde and the 2022 Shiv Sena-NCP split. The FIR, however, does not explicitly outline how his statements constitute public mischief or defamation, Kamra’s petition argues.
Shinde, reacting to the controversy, stated, “Freedom of speech is there. We understand satire. But there should be a limit. This is like taking ‘supari’ (contract) to speak against someone.”
Kamra, in his plea, insists that the song in question “does not name anyone” and that the FIR is “politically motivated”. He pointed out that on March 23, Shiv Sena workers vandalized the alleged venue of his show, and later that night, a complaint was filed against him accusing him of making “slanderous remarks” and “fostering animosity between rival political factions”.
Kamra, known for his sharp political satire, has been touring across India with his latest show, ‘Naya Bharat’, which, according to his petition, is “a blend of observational humor and politically charged satire that resonates with contemporary India.”
Kamra asserts he is not a flight risk and is ready to cooperate with the investigation. His petition relies on a landmark Supreme Court ruling in the Priya Indoria case from Karnataka, which emphasized that anticipatory bail serves to prevent political vendettas from being used as a tool for humiliation and persecution.
Also read: Mumbai Police issues second summons to Kunal Kamra over Eknath Shinde 'gaddar' joke
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