Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has filed a plea before the Bombay High Court seeking to quash an FIR registered against him in Mumbai for remarks allegedly mocking Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The FIR stems from a parody song performed by Kamra during a stand-up show, in which he used the term gaddar (traitor)—a reference widely interpreted to target Shinde for his controversial exit from the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde's defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had led to a major political shake-up in Maharashtra, resulting in a factional split within the Shiv Sena and the formation of a new ruling coalition.

The complaint, filed by Shiv Sena legislator Muraji Patel, invoked Sections 353(1)(b), 353(2) (public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code. Though the FIR was lodged in Mumbai, Kamra currently resides in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, the Madras High Court granted Kamra interim anticipatory bail, observing that threats from political party workers had made it unsafe for him to approach courts in Maharashtra. However, that interim protection from arrest expired yesterday.