The Bombay High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on comedian Kunal Kamra's plea seeking quashing of an FIR filed against him for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and said he need not be arrested till then.
A division bench of Justices S Kotwal and S Modak, after hearing arguments from both sides, reserved its order on the matter.
The court asked police not to arrest the comedian till the order is passed in the matter.
An FIR has been registered at the Khar police station in suburban Mumbai against Kamra for indirectly passing a "traitor" jibe at Shinde during a comedy show in the metropolis.
The 36-year-old stand-up comic has moved the HC against the FIR filed on a complaint of a Shiv Sena MLA. He faces complaints at other police stations also.
Kamra, in his plea, has claimed the complaints against him were violative of his fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression, right to practice any profession and business and right to life and liberty guaranteed under the Constitution.
Kamra, a resident of Tamil Nadu, last month got interim transit anticipatory bail from the Madras High Court in the case.
The comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summonses issued to him.
During the show, Kamra had taunted Shinde, without taking his name, using a modified version of a Hindi song from the 1997 film "Dil To Pagal Hai" where he called him a "gaddar" (traitor).
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
