Kunal Kamra row: Bombay High Court issues notice to police, Sena MLA on comedian's plea against FIR

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Mumbai police and Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel on stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's plea challenging an FIR lodged against him for allegedly passing a "traitor" jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

A division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and S M Modak said it would hear Kamra's petition on April 16, PTI said.

The stand-up comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summons issued to him.

Kunal Kamra's counsel told the court, “We are concerned in a quashing like this. In light of what happened in Madras HC...My client has thrice offered to give a statement over video conferencing in the light of danger he faces. It does seem the authorities are not keeping on recording the statement; they keep insisting on his physical presence over here,” news agency ANI reported.

“On no less than three occasions, we have offered to cooperate on video conferencing. This is not some murder case, it’s a comedy show. If, at all, they intend to file an affidavit, they must serve notice before 16th April.”

The petition, reportedly filed on April 5, challenges the FIR on constitutional grounds, arguing it violates Kunal Kamra's fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21, namely, freedom of expression and the right to life.

Kunal Kamra's legal representatives contend that his satirical performance, part of his show, Naya Bharat, is protected speech and should not attract criminal prosecution.

Madras HC extends interim bail for Kunal Kamra

The Madras High Court on Monday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Kunal Kamra till April 17.

Last month, Kunal Kamra approached the Madras High Court to seek transit anticipatory bail, claiming he had received many threats following his satirical comments during his show at Mumbai's Habitat Studio.

Kunal Kamra vs Shiv Sena - All you need to know about Shinde jibe row

Kunal Kamra sang a parody of Bholi Si Surat, a popular song from the Bollywood movie Dil To Pagal Hai. He allegedly targeted Eknath Shinde with this parody song, leading to multiple FIRs against him.

Following the controversy, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena youth group, Yuva Sena, vandalised the Habitat Studio where the show was filmed.

The comedian, who has had several run-ins with the BJP-led Centre, has refused to apologise for his remark against Eknath Shinde. However, he has said that he would cooperate with the police.

Do not delist me: Kunal Kamra urges BookMyShow

Kunal Kamra urged BookMyShow not to "delist" him and to share the contact details of audiences who booked tickets for his solo shows through the platform. He said this would allow him to continue living "with dignity" and to "work towards a fair livelihood."

Taking to X, he wrote, "Dear @bookmyshow- I still don't know if I have your platform or no. Below is humble view - To the audiences I'm not a fan of boycotts or down rating a private business... Book my show is well within their right to do what's best for their business [sic]."

He further wrote, "Dear BookMyShow, I understand that you need to maintain a cordial relationship with the state, and I know that Mumbai is a major hub for live entertainment. Without the state's cooperation, iconic shows like Coldplay and Guns N' Roses wouldn't be possible [sic]."

"However, the issue at hand isn't about whether you can or will delist me -- it's about your exclusive right on listing our shows. By not allowing artists to list their shows through their own websites, you've effectively prevented me from accessing the audience I've performed for from 2017 to 2025."

He continued, “You take a 10 per cent cut of the revenue for listing shows, which is your business model. However, this raises an important point: No matter how big or small a comedian is, we are all compelled to spend between 6,000 to 10,000 rupees a day on advertising to reach our own audience. This cost is an additional burden that we, as artists, must bear.”

BookMyShow responded to Kunal Kamra's post, saying facts on its role have been "misrepresented in the public domain".