“Kunal Kamra disgraced Supreme Court”: Letter to Attorney General for India seeks sanction for initiating criminal contempt

Read Time: 09 minutes

A letter has been written to the Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal seeking permission to initiate criminal proceedings against Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for scandalizing the Indian Judiciary and disgracing its dignity in his new video titled "Be Like". 

The letter written by Advocate Vineet Jindal stated that, "He has passed derogatory and scandalous statements about the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India while he was already undergoing a trial for his contempt against Court."

In his letter, Jindal has submitted that, "Through his statements, he is misusing his freedom of speech and intends to develop mistrust among Indian citizens by challenging the secular nature of judicial system and questioning its constitutional authority by calling it "Brahmin Baniya” affair and that it did not represent different cultures."

It further stated that that before making disparaging remarks against the Supreme Court, Kamra said he has more respect for a food court of a shopping mall than the top Court. He further alleged that the Supreme Court is a “Brahmin Baniya” affair and it did not represent different cultures. “Supreme Court of the country which I don’t even…I respect a food court of a shopping mall more…at least it represents different cultures, the Supreme Court of the country is a Brahmin-Baniya affair. I don’t respect it,” Kamra said.

In furtherance to this, the letter has sought AG Venugopal's consent under section 15 (1) (b) of the contempt of courts Act 1971, read with rule 3 of the rules to regulate the proceedings for the contempt of the Supreme court 1975 to initiate criminal contempt against Kunal Kamra.

Recently, A letter has also been written by Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey to the Chief Justice of India to initiate criminal contempt against Stand up comedian Kunal Kamra for the alleged disparaging remarks against the Supreme Court in his new video titled "BE LIKE".

It may also be noted that there is already a contempt of court matter pending against Kamra for his tweets against the Supreme Court of India.

The following were the four tweets :

1. The Supreme Court of this country is the most Supreme joke of this country...

2 .The pace at which the Supreme Court operates in matters of “National Interests” it’s time we replace Mahatma Gandhi’s photo with Harish Salve’s photo...

3. DY Chandrachud is a flight attendant serving champagne to first class passengers after they’re fast tracked through, while commoners don’t know if they’ll ever be boarded or seated, let alone served.

4. All lawyers with a spine must stop the use of the prefix “Hon’ble” while referring to the Supreme Court or its judges. Honour has left the building long back...

Along with the tweets, Kamra posted a morphed saffron-colored image of the Supreme Court building with a BJP flag hoisted in the Court's foyer.

Whereas, in response to these proceedings Kamra in its affidavit before the apex court had said, "Jokes are based on a comedian’s perception, which they use to make the audience share that perception laugh. These jokes are not reality and don’t claim to be so. Most people do not react to jokes that don’t make them laugh; they ignore them like our political leaders ignore their critics. That is where the life of a joke must end. The truth about the attention economy is that the more attention one gives to criticism or ridicule, the more credible it appears. 

Through my work, I attempt to abide by the comedy’s tenet of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. For instance, take the joke, ‘Behind every successful Indian businessman, there is a nationalized bank.’ The humor attempts to blunt the grimness of the situation and offers a measure of comfort to the afflicted, including the families of citizens who find themselves unable to withdraw their hard-earned money from their bank accounts. Jokes like these at best make the comfortable squirm in their plush chair, even as they sit securely in the knowledge that a joke cannot make the heavens fall.

Kamra concluded with the following words: 

Lastly, I may disagree with many decisions by many courts in many matters, but I promise this Bench that I will respect any decision that comes my way with a broad smile. I will not vilify this Bench or the Supreme Court in the matter specifically because that would be contempt of court.