Three separate cases have been registered at Khar police station against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for alleged controversial remarks about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
According to the Mumbai Police, a complaint was lodged by the Mayor of Jalgaon city, while the other two complaints came from a hotelier and a businessman from Nashik. Khar police have called Kamra twice for questioning, but he has not yet appeared for investigation.
Earlier, the Madras High Court on Friday granted Kunal Kamra to interim anticipatory bail in connection with several FIRs lodged against him. Justice Sundar Mohan ordered interim anticipatory bail till 7 April with conditions.
Kunal Kamra approached the Madras High Court for transit anticipatory bail and claimed that he was receiving many threats after recent sarcastic comments.
On March 27, the Mumbai Police asked the comedian to appear at Khar police station on 31 March for further questioning in the case. This is the third summons issued to Kamra in the case filed by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel at Khar police station. He has failed to appear before the police in the first two summons.
Earlier on Thursday, Kunal Kamra criticized the mainstream media and accused him of acting as the mouthpiece of the ruling party. Kamra called the media a “vulture” and expressed his displeasure at the role of the media in spreading misinformation and diverting attention from important issues.
Kamra posted on X, “For all those who are upset for quotation -” The mainstream media at this time is nothing but wrong communication. Hand of the ruling party. They are vultures that report on issues that do not matter to the people of this country. If all of them close their shops from tomorrow to eternity, then they will obey the country, its people and their children. “
Kamra had allegedly mocked the “traitor” by targeting Eknath Shinde, causing the controversy. Many political leaders condemned his comment during the stand-up show and demanded action against him.
After the controversy, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena Yuva Group, Yuva Sena vandalized the Habitat Comedy site, where the show was shot. The comedian, who has suffered several conflicts with the BJP -led central government, has refused to apologize for his remarks against Shinde. However, he has said that he will cooperate with the police.
Kunal Kamra said in her statement, “Entertainment site is only one platform. A place for all types of shows. Habitate (or any other place) is not responsible for my comedy, nor does it have any right or control over what I say or do. Nor is it as foolish to attack the site for a political party. Did not like chicken. “
Kunal Kamra, in his official statement, also responded to political leaders ‘threatening’ to teach him a lesson.
Kamra said that ‘there is no change in the nature of their rights due to not being able to joke at the cost of any powerful public personality’. He said that as far as his knowledge is there, it is not against the law.
Kunal Kamra said in her statement, “Our right to freedom of speech and expression should not be used only to flatter powerful and rich people, even though today’s media gives us different confidence from it. Not to tolerate the fun at the cost of a powerful public person, there is no change in the nature of my rights as far as I know, our leaders and our political system are not happy with the laws.”
