Is India criminalising comedy and entertainment?

Producers of entertainment content, especially stand-up comedians, are increasingly becoming the target of legal action. To take just two examples, while Kunal Kamra is facing contempt proceedings for remarks about the Supreme Court, fellow comedian Munawar Faruqui had to spend more than a month in jail on vague charges before getting bail. Are Indians so lacking in humour that their first response to a joke is to take offence and then file a case? Here we explore this question. Guests: Arti Raghavan, an advocate practicing at the Bombay High Court and also the counsel for Kunal Kamra in the criminal contempt proceedings before the Supreme Court; Agrima Joshua, a Mumbai-based stand-up comedian. Host: G. Sampath Read the Parley article here. You can now find The Hindu’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Search for Parley by The Hindu. Write to us with comments and feedback at [email protected]