Comedian Kunal Kamra has received relief from the Madras High Court concerning the controversial comment case involving Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. On Tuesday, Kamra appeared at the court seeking transit anticipatory bail, alleging that police were preparing to arrest him. Earlier, on March 28, the High Court had granted him anticipatory bail until April 7.
Transit anticipatory bail provides an accused with protection from arrest within their current jurisdiction, permitting them to obtain interim protection even if the FIR is filed outside their home state. The High Court has now directed Kunal Kamra to appear at Vanuur Court, which granted him bail as he sought relief.
Mumbai's Khar Police registered a case against Kamra, prompting him to seek legal protection to evade arrest. Kamra's lawyer argued before the court that Kamra did not make a direct critique aimed at anyone and there's no hidden agenda in his remarks. They accused the police of being prepared to arrest him.
During the hearing of Kamra's petition, Justice Sundar Mohan instructed him to appear before Vanuur Court for bail acquisition and postponed the lawsuit to April 7. The court granted him bail and required his appearance for further proceedings on April 7.
On Monday, a team of Mumbai police officers arrived at the comedian's home. Reacting to the police's presence, Kamra stated that visiting a place where he hasn't resided for 10 years is a 'waste of time and public resources'.
A police officer disclosed that Kunal Kamra was summoned by Khar Police Station at Mumbai's Habitat Center for interrogation over his controversial comments, but he didn’t show up. Earlier, police had issued two summons to Kamra following an FIR filed on March 24 based on a complaint by Shiv Sena legislator Murji Patel.
According to Mumbai Police, three separate FIRs have been registered against Kamra at Khar Police Station. One complaint was filed by the mayor of Jalgaon City, while other two by a hotel entrepreneur and a merchant in Nasik.
On March 23, Kamra made a parody version of a song from the 1997 film 'Dil To Pagal Hai', targeting Deputy CM Eknath Shinde in an episode release.
The comedian’s antics faced severe criticism, and Shiv Sena activists vandalized the event venue. Several days later, BMC began demolishing some parts of the Habitat Studio.
Sources earlier informed Aaj Tak that Kamra told police officers that he would cooperate with the investigation but is currently not in Mumbai. They also reported that Kamra refused to apologize for his remarks.
In a subsequent comprehensive statement, Kamra asserted that mocking leaders isn't against the law. A section of his statement read, "Your inability to withstand humor at the expense of a powerful public figure does not alter the nature of my right."
