Kunal Kamra joke row: Comedian files pre-arrest bail plea at Madras High Court

Comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Madras High Court, seeking interim protection from pre-arrest in connection with the FIR filed over his remarks on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 

Kamra, a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram, has applied for a transit anticipatory bail, which will allow him to seek pre-arrest bail in his home state even if the FIR is lodged somewhere else.

This comes after the Mumbai Police turned down his request for a week’s extension to appear before them. The Khar Police had sent two summonses to Kamra. An official had said they issued notices against the comedian as a probe has been initiated against him. He has been asked to appear before the authorities by March 31.

Kamra received severe backlash from Shiv Sena members as well as from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for referring to Shinde as a “gaddar” or traitor. The comedian took a jibe at the minister as he performed a parody of a popular Hindi song from the 1997 movie, ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’. Shiv Sena workers also vandalised Habitat Studio, the venue where his now-controversial comedy special, Naya Bharat, was performed.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Legislative Council has accepted a breach of privilege notice against him. Council chairperson Ram Shinde informed PTI that the matter has been forwarded to the Privileges Committee.

In Pune, state tourism minister and Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai urged the police to arrest Kamra promptly, cautioning against testing the patience of party workers. Desai remarked that Shiv Sena workers know how to bring Kamra out from hiding but are restrained by ministerial responsibilities. He also used the Marathi word 'prasad' as a euphemism for punishment, saying Kamra should be dealt with accordingly.

In New Delhi, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw defended the police summons issued to Kamra. He stated that while the Constitution grants certain rights, it also includes safeguards that must be respected. Vaishnaw emphasised the importance of adhering to constitutional safeguards to maintain societal harmony.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of double standards. Thackeray highlighted that while Kamra was summoned for allegedly insulting a 'traitor', no action was taken against actor Rahul Solapurkar for his remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Thackeray questioned the motives behind the action against Kamra and criticised the government's selective approach.

Amidst the ongoing controversy, Kamra took to social media platform X to criticise the mainstream media, labelling them as "vultures". He accused them of being a "miscommunication arm of the ruling party" and suggested that their absence would benefit the country and its people.

(With agency inputs)