‘He is scared for his life and liberty if he goes to Mumbai…’: Madras High Court grants interim bail to Kunal Kamra

The Madras High Court Friday granted interim anticipatory bail to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra until April 7 in connection with an FIR lodged in Mumbai over his alleged remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Justice Sunder Mohan, after hearing urgent submissions from Kamra’s counsel V Suresh, directed him to execute a bail bond before the jurisdictional magistrate. Kamra has been living in Tamil Nadu for the past four years.

The court also permitted a private notice to be served on Khar Police Station, Maharashtra.

Though the FIR was lodged in Mumbai, Kamra approached the Madras High Court on the grounds that he is a permanent resident of a northern Tamil Nadu district and fears immediate arrest and physical harm if he were to travel to Maharashtra. His plea was taken up following an urgent mentioning in the morning.

“The petitioner submits that he is scared for his life and liberty if he goes to Mumbai on 31.03.2025,” the petition said, citing multiple death threats that he allegedly received following the airing of his new stand-up video, Naya Bharat.

Justice Mohan observed that Kamra had legitimate concerns regarding his safety and found that the comedian was unable to approach courts in Maharashtra for protection. The court was thus prima facie satisfied that interim relief was necessary.

“That there are exceptional and compelling circumstances for the grant of inter-state anticipatory bail in the present matter,” the petition read, adding that “the FIR reflects that the complaint was politically motivated, and the vandalism that happened, pursuant to the video upload, by certain politically affiliated persons furthers the malicious nature of the complaint, which publicly humiliates the Petitioner”.

The court’s decision ensures that Kamra will have legal protection until April 7, allowing him time to approach the appropriate court in Mumbai.

A Zero FIR was filed against Kamra on March 24 under Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) (public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, based on a complaint from Shiv Sena MLA Muraji Patel. The FIR was later transferred to the Khar Police Station, Mumbai.

Kamra’s Naya Bharat tour, which formed the basis of the complaint, covered themes of political satire, wealth disparity, gender roles, and the influence of billionaires.

“The Petitioner performed his new stand-up comedy show ‘Naya Bharat’ at a venue in Mumbai. The said performance occurred in February 2025 and was uploaded onto the Petitioner’s YouTube Channel on 23.02.2025,” the plea said.

His stand-up special was performed at Mumbai’s Habitat Studio, and while he did not name Shinde directly, party workers alleged that he had called Shinde a “traitor”, referencing his 2022 split from the Shiv Sena that led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray government.

His remarks sparked outrage, with a group of Shiv Sena workers vandalising Habitat Studio on March 23, the venue where Kamra had performed. Twelve people were arrested for the violence but were later granted bail.

Kamra’s plea cited these incidents as evidence of a coordinated effort to intimidate and silence him.

“From the date of release of this YouTube video, the Petitioner has been receiving threats of physical harm and death on various social media platforms and even on his personal email and mobile,” his petition said.

Kamra was represented by advocates V Suresh and Ashwin Thool, who argued that the case against him was politically motivated and that his remarks fell under the purview of satire and free speech.

The state was represented by an Additional Public Prosecutor, who opposed the plea but did not object to Kamra’s right to seek anticipatory bail in Tamil Nadu due to his residential status in the state.

Kamra has long been a controversial figure in Indian stand-up comedy. The comedian has previously faced travel bans, legal notices, and social media censorship for his performances. He has been living in an undisclosed place in northern Tamil Nadu after he purchased land there during Covid, and he travels outside the state mostly for his shows.