Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Thursday appeared before the Privileges Committee of the Maharashtra Legislative Council and said that he felt no remorse over his past remarks targeting Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, nor was he willing to tender an apology.
The hearing, held at Vidhan Bhavan, centred on a breach of privilege complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Pravin Darekar. Committee chairman and BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Prasad Lad said around 24 questions were posed to Kamra during the cross-questioning session, which also involved the complainant.
Questions reportedly touched upon constitutional rights and the powers of the Privileges Committee.
Lad added that the committee informed Kamra that an unconditional apology could lead to the matter being viewed differently. According to him, Kamra’s lawyer indicated that they would discuss the issue and send a written response to the committee via email.
Shortly after the closed-door hearing, Kamra took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share his version of the final three questions and his replies. In his post, he wrote: “Respected sir maybe there was a communication issue but the way I remember the last 3 questions of my cross examination this evening: Do you feel remorse? No. Are you sorry about what you said? No. If you tender an unconditional apology, this matter will be looked at differently — No, I can’t… as the apology would not be sincere. Also it would set a terrible precedent for other artists & their freedom.”
Respected sir maybe there was a communication issue but the way I remmeber the last 3 questions of my cross examination this evening –
Do you feel remorse – No
Are you sorry about what you said- No
If you tender an unconditional apology this matter will be looked at differently… https://t.co/mrXP94WcCd— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) April 9, 2026
He emphasised that he stood by his original statements and could not offer what he described as an “insincere” apology.
Kunal Kamra row: Background of the case
The controversy dates back to a parody song performed by Kamra in which he indirectly referred to Eknath Shinde as a “traitor (gaddar)” following political developments in Maharashtra. The remarks triggered a first information report (FIR), protests, and an attack on a comedy venue by workers of the Shiv Sena. A breach of privilege notice was moved by Darekar, leading to the constitution of the committee to examine the matter. Kamra had appeared before the panel in earlier hearings as well.
The Privileges Committee is expected to deliberate further on the issue after receiving any written response from Kamra’s side. No final decision has been announced yet.
(With PTI inputs)
