News Analysis India

Tag: Kunal Kamra

  • NCPCR seeks action against Kunal Kamra for posting ‘doctored’ video of boy singing for PM Narendra Modi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The apex child rights body NCPCR has sought action against comedian Kunal Kamra for tweeting a “doctored” video of a boy singing a patriotic song in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The NCPCR also sought immediate removal of the video.

    The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in a letter to Twitter’s grievance officer, said a complaint was received by it regarding Kamra tweeting the “doctored” video of a minor singing a patriotic song to further his own political agendas.

    “The Commission has taken cognizance of the complaint and is of the view that using minors for propagating political ideologies is a violation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Further, the Commission is apprehensive that using children for such promotional purposes is harmful and detrimental to their mental well-being,” it said.

    Therefore, the Commission said, the video should be taken off the platform immediately and appropriate action should be taken against the official account of Kamra for posting such content.

    Kamra had shared the purported video of Modi’s interaction in Germany with the child but he replaced the song that the boy sang — ‘Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat’ — with “Mehengayi daayan khaaye jaat hain”.

    The father of the boy has lashed out at Kamra, saying “keep the poor boy out of your filthy politics and try to work on your poor jokes.”

    Reacting, Kamra said the video is in the public domain posted by a news organisation.

    “The joke is not on your son, while you enjoy your son sing for his motherland to the most popular son, there are songs that he should listen to from people of his country also,” Kamra tweeted.

    Kamra, in another tweet, said the NCPCR has sought action against him for posting a “meme”.

  • Congress leader Digvijaya Singh invites Kunal Kamra, Munawar Faruqui​ to hold comedy show in Bhopal

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday invited stand-up comedians Kunal Kamra and Munawar Faruqui to hold a programme at Bhopal in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh after they were recently denied permission for shows in Bengaluru.

    Faruqui was last month denied nod to hold a show at Bengaluru in Karnataka amid the protest by the Hindu right wing outfits.

    A few days later, Kamra, a vocal critic of the government, said his stand-up shows scheduled to be held in Bengaluru were cancelled after the organisers received threats.

    On Monday, Digvijaya Singh in a Twitter post said, “I will organise a show for you Kunal and Munawar in Bhopal. All responsibility will be mine. Only condition is that the subject of comedy will be Digvijaya Singh. Sanghis (RSS cadre) should not object to this!! Don’t be afraid!! Give the date and time as per your convenience. All your conditions are accepted.”

    In his post, the Rajya Sabha member also tagged a news article related to Kamra.

    Earlier this year, Faruqui had spent a month in jail at Indore in MP following a complaint by a BJP MLA’s son in January for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

  • Supreme Court to take up contempt plea against Kunal Kamra after 4 weeks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday adjourned for four weeks the hearing on the plea seeking contempt against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra over his alleged scandalous tweets against the judiciary.

    A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and R S Reddy deferred the matter after an adjournment was sought by some petitioners who wanted time to file rejoinder to the reply filed by Kamra.

    One of the petitions in the Kamra case has been filed by law student Shrirang Katneshwarkar and others.

    Kamra in his reply had defended the alleged scandalous tweets against the judiciary, saying India would be reduced to a “country of incarcerated artists and flourishing lapdogs” if powerful people and institutions show inability to “tolerate rebuke or criticism”.

    The comedian, facing contempt proceedings, also said that there was a growing culture of intolerance where taking offence is seen as a fundamental right and has been elevated to the status of a “much loved national indoor sport”.

    On December 18 last year, the top court issued show-cause notice to Kamra for his alleged scandalous tweets against the apex court and exempted him from personal appearances.

    Attorney General K K Venugopal had granted consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra, saying the comedian’s tweets were in “bad taste” and it was time that people understand that attacking the apex court brazenly would attract punishment.

    The consent of either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General is necessary under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act for initiating contempt proceedings against a person.

    Criminal contempt of the Supreme Court is punishable with a fine of up to Rs 2,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.

    The petitioners have claimed that the stand-up comedian had started publishing tweets on November 11 last year when the top court was hearing the appeal of Arnab Goswami against the Bombay High Court’s order rejecting the journalist’s plea seeking interim bail in a 2018 abetment-to-suicide case.

    The plea alleged that after the top court granted interim bail to Goswami on November 11, Kamra “again published various tweets and thereby scandalized” the apex court and “further lowered” its authority.

  • Contempt case against artistes: SC says criticism of court growing, everybody doing it now

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Friday observed that criticism of courts is “growing and everybody is now doing it” now, while giving three weeks to cartoonist Rachit Taneja to file her reply on the plea seeking contempt action for her alleged scandalous tweets against the judiciary.

    The top court also adjourned hearing for two weeks on separate pleas seeking contempt action against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, after the petitioners said that they have received reply of the artist.

    A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah was informed by advocate Nishant Kanteshwarkar, appearing for some petitioners in Kamra’s case, that the comedian’s reply has been received and the matter be listed on non-miscellaneous day after two weeks.

    The bench agreed to the submission and said it will take up the matter after two weeks.

    During the hearing on a separate plea, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Taneja, said that he will file reply to petition against her.

    The bench however said that criticism is “growing on and everybody is doing it”.

    Rohatgi said that criticism of court can never be contempt and she is a young girl of 25-years of age.

    He said that there is a public perception as to why one case of a journalist was taken up for hearing during court’s vacation.

    The bench said, “If you don’t want to file reply, we will proceed. It’s better if you file a reply”.

    Rohatgi submitted that he will file a reply and sought three weeks’ time for it.

    The bench said it will list the matter after three weeks.

    On December 18, the top court had issued show-cause notices to Kamra and Taneja for their alleged scandalous tweets against the apex court.

    The top court had sought their responses in in six weeks on the notices issued in two separate cases and had exempted them from personal appearances in the cases.

    The top court had noted that Attorney General K K Venugopal has given his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against both the comic artists in separate cases.

    Venugopal had granted consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra, saying the comedian’s tweets were in “bad taste” and it was time that people understand that attacking the apex court brazenly would attract punishment.

    The attorney general had also given consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Taneja, stating that the caricatures posted by her on social media were intended to denigrate the Supreme Court and lower its authority in the eyes of the public.

    The consent of either the attorney general or the solicitor general is necessary under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act for initiating contempt proceedings against a person.

    Criminal contempt of the Supreme Court is punishable with a fine of up to Rs 2,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.