Comedian Kunal Kamra has been asked to depose in person before the privileges committee of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on February 17 in connection with a breach of privilege motion against him for his alleged disparaging remarks about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad, the head of the panel, told PTI that notices were issued to Kamra and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sushma Andhare 15 days ago for a hearing over the alleged remarks. The two had been asked to appear before the committee on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Lad said that Kamra had informed the panel that he would not be able to travel to Mumbai for the hearing. He was then asked to appear on February 17, The Indian Express reported.
The committee also rescheduled Andhare’s hearing after she told the panel that she was occupied with Zilla Parishad election campaigning. She has also been asked to appear on February 17, the newspaper reported.
In March, BJP MLC, Pravin Darekar had moved a breach of privilege notice against Kamra and Andhare. While Kamra was accused of having mocked Shinde and insulted the Maharashtra legislature, Andhare was accused of having expressed support for him.
On March 23, Kamra posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he ostensibly criticised Shinde while performing a satirical version of a song from a Hindi film.
The comedian alluded to Shinde as a “traitor” while referring to his 2022 rebellion against former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the ensuing political crisis in Maharashtra. He, however, did not mention Shinde by name.
After clips of the performance were widely shared on social media, members of the Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on the night of March 23 vandalised The Habitat studio in Mumbai’s Khar area, where it was recorded.
The next day, the Mumbai Police filed a case against Kamra under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to defamation and public mischief.
On April 25, the Bombay High Court protected the comedian from arrest, but allowed the investigation against him to continue.
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