Kunal Kamra gets arrest shield till April 7 from Madras high court
The court took note of Kunal Kamra’s submission about death threats and threats of physical assault received from Maharashtra ministers and Shiv Sena leaders
The Madras high court on Friday granted interim anticipatory bail to standup comedian Kunal Kamra in connection with the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against him in Mumbai over his alleged remarks against Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Justice Sunder Mohan granted bail to Kamra until April 7 and issued notices to the Tamil Nadu government and the Khar Police Station, Mumbai.
The judge took note of submissions by lawyer V Suresh, appearing for Kunal Kamra, who said the comedian had been receiving death threats as well as threats of physical assault by several people, including members and ministers of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Suresh underlined that Kamra had not named anyone and that he had also made jokes about a billionaire’s son and several other topics. All of those were meant as satire and satire was an accepted part of a citizen’s fundamental right to freedom of speech, Suresh argued.
The court said it was inclined to grant interim protection from arrest to Kamra.
“The petitioner is a stand-up comedian. He made comments in a show in January and the video was released recently. The petitioner says he is facing life threats and is unable to approach courts in Maharashtra. This court is inclined to grant him interim anticipatory bail,” the high court said.
Kamra approached the Madras high court on Friday morning, seeking transit anticipatory bail after multiple FIRs were lodged against him for his alleged remarks on Eknath Shinde.
Earlier in the day, Suresh sought an urgent hearing on Kamra’s petition, pointing out that he was a permanent resident of Villupuram town in Tamil Nadu and the Madras high court exercises jurisdiction to hear his anticipatory bail plea.
In his petition, Kamra listed the threats that he has received following the recent show. Among others, the names Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Nirupam, Naresh Mhaske, Murji Patel, and Maharashtra ministers Shamburaje Desai and Yogesh Ramdas Kadam, and Shiv Sena member Rahool Kanal.
The case stems from Kamra’s recent show at The Habitat comedy club in Khar, where he performed a parody song that also targeted Eknath Shinde. Kamra’s parody song, set to a tune from the film Dil Toh Pagal Hai, featured the word “gaddar” (traitor), seemingly aimed at Shinde. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and its mouthpiece Saamana, frequently use this term to describe Shinde and his faction, who broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership in June 2022.
The act prompted a backlash from supporters of Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, who vandalised the club and the hotel on Sunday night. Kamra was told to appear before the police on Tuesday, but he had sought seven days’ time. On Thursday, the Mumbai police told the comedian to appear before them on March 31.
