- By Shubham Bajpai
- Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:55 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the FIR lodged against him by the city police for allegedly passing a "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He has sought to quash the FIR against him.
On April 5, he filed a plea claiming the complaints against him were violative of his fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression, right to practice any profession and business, and right to life and liberty guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
The plea has been filed through advocate Meenaz Kakalia and is likely to come up for hearing before Justice Sarang Kotwal's bench on April 21.
Kamra skips three summons
Last month, Kamra got interim transit anticipatory bail from the Madras High Court in the case against him. Kamra is a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu.
The petition has been filed after Kamra skipped three summons from the Mumbai Police issued for questioning him.
Row over Gaddar remark
The controversy erupted after a show where Kamra had taunted Shinde, without taking his name, using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film "Dil To Pagal Hai" where he called him a "gaddar" (traitor).
The comedian was allegedly referring to Shinde's rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray. After the video of the event was posted by Kamra and was shared by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, massive outrage started. Resorting to violence, Shinde's party workers vandalised the Habitat Studio where the event was organised.
The police arrested those involved in vandalism. Later they got bail and were released.
An FIR has been registered after a complaint was filed by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel. The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation).
(With PTI Inputs)