Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Friday denied seeking an adjournment from the Maharashtra Legislative Council's privileges committee regarding his alleged remarks against Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, asserting that the panel itself had deferred the February 5 hearing.
The committee had summoned Kamra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare for a hearing over their alleged insulting remarks against Shinde.
Committee chairperson and BJP MLC Prasad Lad had earlier said that Kamra and Andhare were initially asked to appear before the panel at 2 pm on February 5, but the duo expressed their inability to attend, and the hearing was rescheduled for February 17.
Taking to X, Kamra dismissed media reports claiming that he had sought an adjournment from the privileges committee as "incorrect".
"I was asked to appear before the privileges committee on February 5. The summons was issued to me by a letter dated January 23 that was only served to me on January 29," he said in a lengthy post.
The comedian claimed that he had agreed to appear before the committee and sent an email on January 30 confirming his attendance with his lawyer.
Kamra said he travelled to Mumbai on Wednesday, but the same evening, he received a call from an officer at the Vidhan Sabha (Bhavan), stating that the hearing was to be adjourned.
"This was followed by a letter confirming the adjournment. The letter from the committee makes it clear that the adjournment was not at my request," he wrote.
He further stated that he has not been informed about the next date for the hearing "(though the media reports suggest it is to be on February 17)".
"It is the interest of fairness that the record be corrected, and it be made clear that no adjournment was sought at my instance, and that I continue to remain willing to cooperate in the proceedings," Kamra said in his post on X.
He pointed out that while all communications addressed to him by the committee have stated that the proceedings are "confidential", the notices sent to him appear to have been leaked to the media.
"The chairman of the committee appears to be giving statements to the media about the developments in the proceedings," he said.
BJP MLC Pravin Darekar had moved a breach of privilege notice against Kamra and Andhare for "derogatory remarks" against Shiv Sena leader Shinde, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti.
Kamra, who has often courted controversy for his anti-establishment views, targeted Shinde in a song parody last year, obliquely referring to him as a traitor.
Andhare, leader of the rival Sena (UBT), had supported Kamra.
The comedian, during his performance at the 'Unicontinental Mumbai' hotel in Khar area of Mumbai, had used a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie "Dil To Pagal Hai" to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.
A group of Shiv Sena workers reached the hotel and ransacked its office.
Shinde rebelled against the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022, splitting the Shiv Sena and leading to the collapse of the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
On Wednesday, committee chairperson Lad told reporters that Kamra had informed the panel that he would be unable to travel to Mumbai for the first mandatory hearing.
"Kunal Kamra has communicated his inability to appear today. He has now been given February 17 to depose before the committee," Lad said.
The committee has also rescheduled the hearings of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare and NCP (SP) worker Suryakant More.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
