‘MLC is lying’: Kunal Kamra denies seeking adjournment from Maharashtra council panel

Comedian Kunal Kamra on Friday denied reports claiming that he had sought an adjournment from a committee of the Maharashtra Legislative Council conducting breach of privilege proceedings against him.

The head of the committee, Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express on Wednesday that Kamra told the panel he would not be able to travel to Mumbai for the first mandatory hearing, which was initially scheduled for February 5. Lad said he was then asked to depose before the committee on February 17.

However, Kamra told Scroll on Friday that the MLC was “lying” and that he flew to Mumbai on Wednesday for the purposes of the hearing.

He said on social media that no adjournment was sought at his instance and that he is willing to cooperate with the proceedings.

Kamra, along with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sushma Andhare, is facing breach of privilege proceedings in connection with allegations that he made disparaging remarks about Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in March.

While Kamra was accused of mocking Shinde and insulting the Maharashtra legislature, Andhare was accused of expressing support for him. The breach of privilege notice was moved by BJP MLC Pravin Darekar.

On Friday, Kamra said that while the summons directing him to appear before the committee was issued on January 23, it was only served to him on January 29.

“Despite the short notice, I agreed to appear and sent an email on 30th January 2026 to the committee, confirming that I would attend the hearing with my lawyer,” the comedian said.

In the email sent on January 30, Kamra requested that a copy of the issues framed by the committee against him and a copy of the minutes of a meeting held by the panel on the subject on January 22 be sent to him.

The comedian told Scroll that the committee had yet to send him the two documents.

Kamra said on social media that he received a call around 6 pm on Wednesday that the hearing was to be adjourned, which was followed by a letter confirming the postponesment. “The letter from the committee makes it clear that the adjournment was not at my request,” he said.

Kamra’s comments on Shinde

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.