Kunal Kamra petitions Supreme Court over legislative privileges

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Supreme Court of India to intervene in a case regarding the scope of legislative privileges held by Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and its impact on freedom of speech and expression.

A seven-judge Constitution bench is scheduled to begin hearings on October 6 to interpret these provisions. Kamra stated in his plea that he is directly affected by the legal questions at hand due to pending privilege proceedings against him in the Maharashtra State Assembly. These proceedings stem from his comedy special, ‘Naya Bharat,’ which included jokes targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Kamra argued that using legislative privilege to ‘stifle’ the speech of citizens undermines democracy. He contended that the issue affects not only the press but any citizen speaking about the actions of legislators. The matter involves the interpretation of Articles 194(3), 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Indian Constitution.