Kunal Kamra moves Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail after summons from Mumbai Police

Amid growing controversy over his parody targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, comedian Kunal Kamra on Friday reportedly approached the Madras High Court seeking protection from arrest. The popular stand-up comedian is a resident of Villupuram town in Tamil Nadu which comes under the jurisdiction of Madras High Court.

An urgent mentioning of the case was made before Justice Sunder Mohan on Friday. According to Kamra’s lawyer V Suresh, the petition is being considered for an urgent hearing and is likely to be heard during the court’s Friday afternoon session. Kamra’s counsel has also mentioned that the comedian has been receiving death threats after the controversial performance.

The 36-year-old stand-up comedian’s “traitor” jibe at Deputy CM Shinde has kicked up a major political storm in Maharashtra and landed him in trouble. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police has summoned him at Khar Police Station on March 31. A Zero FIR was lodged against Kamra under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) [Public mischief] and 356(2) [Defamation] BNS by Shiv Sena MLA Muraji Patel. The FIR was later transferred to Khar police station in Mumbai.

Kamra’s “gaddar” jibe at Eknath Shinde

Kamra, known for his satirical style of comedy, was performing at a stand-up show at the Unicontinental Hotel in Mumbai’s Khar area, where he mocked Shinde’s defection from the Shiv Sena and his alliance with the BJP by allegedly calling him a “gaddar” (traitor) in an indirect manner. The jokes, which included a parody of a song from the Bollywood movie “Dil To Pagal Hai”, were aimed at Shinde, even though Kamra did not mention him by name. His performance quickly gained attention on social media, following which it triggered a series of protests and even violence.

Shiv Sena workers vandalised venue where Kamra performed

Shiv Sena workers vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club located at Mumbai’s Khar where Kunal Kamra performed his gig which landed him in controversy. The club, housed in Mumbai’s UniContinental hotel, had drawn the ire of the Sena workers because a video shot there by comedian Kunal Kamra had mocked former deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, without naming him.

Mumbai Police had arrested 12 Shiv Sena members for vandalising the studio in which Kunal Kamra’s show was filmed and the hotel in which it is located. They were granted bail hours after being held.

Rahool Kanal, a member of the Shiv Sena Yuva Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), who was arrested for vandalising the studio, has said in his defence that the Sena workers did not intend to attack the venue and acted “in the heat of the moment.”

“I know all these artistes, including Kamra and Munnawar (Faruqui). I am someone who always supports artists. But when we saw the video, we initially contacted Balraj and enquired about the show. However, he did not talk to us properly and misbehaved,” Kanal told the media.