Mumbai: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, currently facing a backlash for his controversial comments about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has moved Bombay High Court, seeking quashing of multiple FIRs against him while praying for an urgent hearing.
The court has fixed April 8 for the date of hearing.
The matter was mentioned on Monday before Justice Sarang Kotwal’s bench which agreed to give an urgent hearing, while saying that if he wants relief from arrest, he will have to approach the appropriate bench.
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In his petition, Kamra contended that the police actions infringe upon his fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, including the right to freedom of speech and expression, the right to practise any profession or business, and the right to life and personal liberty.
After the case was registered, city police had summoned him on three occasions for questioning in connection with his controversial statement against Shinde but he failed to appear all three times.
The charges against him include offences under Sections 353(1)(b) and 353(2) pertaining to public mischief and 356(2) for defamation, according to the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
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The MIDC police had registered a case against Kamra on a complaint from Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel which was subsequently transferred to the Khar police.
Patel claimed that during a stand-up comedy performance at the Habitat Studio in Unicontinental Hotel, Khar, Kamra made derogatory statements about Eknath Shinde, which he argued defamed Shinde and incited hatred between political parties, harming the sentiments of both his party and its rivals.
Two more FIRs were also registered against Kamra which are under probe by Khar police station.
