Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Bombay High Court, seeking to quash an FIR lodged against him by the city police for allegedly passing a "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. His plea claims 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, filed through advocate Meenaz Kakalia, is likely to be heard before a bench headed by Justice Sarang Kotwal on April 21. Kamra, a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu, got interim transit anticipatory bail from the Madras High Court last month in the case against him.
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The comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summons issued to him. During a show, Kamra taunted Shinde without taking his name using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film Dil To Pagal Hai, in which he called him a "gaddar" (traitor).
The comedian went on to joke about how Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray. Following a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, the police here registered the FIR against Kamra under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation).