The Bombay High Court on Friday granted comedian Kunal Kamra protection from arrest in a case registered against him in Mumbai for his satirical remarks about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Bar and Bench reported.

A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and SM Modak said that the investigation in the case would proceed, but if the police wished to question Kamra, they would have to do so in Chennai as he is a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu.

“If the investigating agency wants to record the petitioner’s statement, the same can be recorded in Chennai with the help of local police after giving notice of reasonable period to the petitioner so that he can remain present in Chennai,” the court was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

In case a chargesheet was filed, the trial court could not continue any legal proceedings against Kamra until the High Court ruled on his plea to quash the FIR, the bench added.

On March 23, the comedian 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.

Kamra 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. The police have summoned Kamra for questioning three times, but he has not appeared before them so far.

The Bombay High Court had on April 16 granted Kamra protection from arrest to Kamra till the case was heard, but now the protection has been made permanent, Bar and Bench reported.

Earlier, the Madras High Court also extended interim protection from arrest to Kamra till April 17.

Also read: