"No Defence Needed For Jokes": Comic Kunal Kamra On Contempt Notice

There is no defence needed for jokes, comedian Kunal Kamra said in his reply to a contempt notice by the Supreme Court for his criticism of the top court in tweets last year. Mr Kamra, who did not offer an apology in his response, said that "jokes are not reality and do not claim to be so".

"There is no defence needed for jokes and it is based on the comedian's perception," Mr Kamra said, adding that his posts on Twitter were not made with the intention of "diminishing faith of people in judiciary".

Mr Kamra faces contempt cases over his tweets attacking the Supreme Court for granting TV anchor Arnab Goswami bail after his arrest in an abetment to suicide case. Eight people, mostly lawyers, have filed cases against him.

"I disagree with many decisions of many courts but promise this bench that  I will respect any decision with a broad smile and will not vilify this bench or the Supreme Court in this matter because that would actually (amount to) contempt of court."

"I do not believe any authority including judges would find themselves unable to discharge their duties only on account of being subject of satire or comedy," the comedian said.

Last month, the Supreme Court gave separate contempt notices to Mr Kamra and cartoonist Rachita Taneja, and asked them to respond in six weeks.  The court, however, exempted them from personal appearances. It asked them to explain why contempt actions should not be taken against them for "scandalising the judiciary".

KK Venugopal, the government's top law, had said that Mr Kamra's tweets were "in bad taste" and "crossed the line between humour and contempt".

Cartoonist Rachita Taneja tweeted on the Supreme Court granting bail to Arnab Goswami. There were other illustrations as well where the court was mentioned.