Chennai: Comedian Kunal Kamra, who recently faced legal trouble over a joke directed at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has been granted transit anticipatory bail by the District Munsif-cum-Judicial Magistrate Court in Vanur, Tamil Nadu.
Kamra had approached the Madras High Court on Tuesday, seeking transit anticipatory bail, which provides temporary protection from arrest in a jurisdiction different from where the FIR has been filed.
In his case, the FIR was lodged by Khar Police in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Madras High Court, in an earlier hearing, had granted Kamra interim protection from arrest till April 7.
Justice Sundar Mohan directed the comedian to appear before the Vanur court to formally secure his bail. Following this direction, the Vanur court granted the requested relief.
The case stems from a stand-up performance Kamra delivered on March 23 at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai’s Khar area.
During the show, he parodied a song from the 1997 Bollywood film ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, using it to make a satirical reference to Shinde. Though he did not name the Deputy Chief Minister directly, Kamra referred to him as a “gaddar” (traitor), a term that sparked political backlash.
Following the performance, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the venue in protest. A few days later, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) initiated demolition work on parts of the comedy club, drawing further public attention to the incident.
Multiple officers from Mumbai Police reportedly visited Kamra’s registered address in the city after he failed to appear for questioning.
Kamra, however, criticised the move, stating that he had not lived at that address for over a decade. He called the police action a “waste of time and public resources.”
Appearing through his lawyer, Kamra told the court that his performance had no malicious intent and that he had not directly criticised any individual.
His lawyer argued that there was no hidden agenda in his remarks and alleged that the police were attempting to arrest him without due cause.
Kamra has maintained that making jokes about political leaders is not a crime.
“Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right,” he said in a public statement.
He also reportedly told the police that he would not apologise for his comments.
The Madras High Court has now ordered Kamra to appear before it on April 7 for further proceedings regarding the conditions of his bail.
The Vanur court, which granted the comedian temporary relief, is located in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu.
(IANS)
