The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on comedian Kunal Kamra's petition seeking the quashing of an FIR registered against him for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The court also granted him interim protection from arrest.
A division bench of Justices S Kotwal and S Modak, after hearing arguments from both sides, reserved its order. It directed the Mumbai police not to arrest Kamra till the order is passed in the matter.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Khar police station against Kamra for allegedly calling Shinde "gaddar" (traitor) during a show in the metropolis.
Kunal Kamra's 'Gaddar' Joke
The entire controversy stemmed from Kunal Kamra's performance at the Habitat Comedy Club at the Unicontinental Hotel in the Khar area on Sunday. The 36-year-old stand-up comedian's content kicked up a major political storm in Maharashtra for taking a jibe at Shinde's political career in his show.
Kamra had referred to Shinde as a "traitor" and went on to sing a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.
Later, Shiv Sena members vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, where Kamra's show took place, as well as the hotel in whose premises the club is located.
On the next day, the police arrested Shiv Sena worker Rahul Kanal and 11 others for vandalising the show venue. A local court granted them bail the same day.
BookMyShow Delists Kamra
In a major setback to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra amid the ongoing row over his recent 'traitor' jibe targeting Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, online ticketing platform BookMyShow on Saturday removed all content related to the comedian and removed him from the list of artists listed on its website.
Citing an India Today report on the same, Kamra, later asked BookMyShow to confirm the development. "Hello BookMyShow, can you please confirm if I have your platform to list my shows? If not, it's fine. I understand," he tweeted.
The development came from the online ticketing platform following Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) youth leader Rahool N Kanal's letter where he requested the platform to not provide any performing space to Kamra Kamra.
As per the India Today report, Kanal stressed that "continuing to facilitate ticket sales for his events could be perceived as an endorsement of his divisive rhetoric which may have serious repercussions for public sentiment and order in the city."
"Such remarks not only hurt the sentiments of public at large but also have the potential to incite public mischief and disrupt social harmony. By providing a platform for his performances, BookMyShow inadvertently lends credibility and reach to an individual whose actions threaten public order, particularly in a vibrant and diverse city like Mumbai, where your company is headquartered," Kanal shared on X.
'Inability To Take A Joke...': Kunal Kamra's Reaction
Responding to the development, Kamra on a social media post has said he will not apologize for his controversial comments about Shinde.
"I will not apologise... I don't fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down," Kamra wrote and added that his statement was exactly what "Mr. Ajit Pawar (1st deputy CM) said about Mr. Eknath Shinde (2nd Deputy CM)".
"To the Mob That Decided That Habitat Should Not Stand: An entertainment venue is merely a platform. A space for all sorts of shows. Habitat (or any other venue) is not responsible for my comedy, nor does it have any power or control over what I say or do. Neither does any political party."
Kamra also spoke about his right to freedom of speech and expression while calling out "politicians threatening to teach him a lesson".
"Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right. As far as I know, it is not against the law to poke fun at our leaders and the circus that is our political system. However, I am willing to cooperate with the police and courts for any lawful action taken against me.
Kamra said the vandalism at the venue was "senseless" and compared it to someone overturning a truck carrying tomatoes because they didn't like the butter chicken served to them.
