Overview
- Kamra filed to intervene in the long‑running Supreme Court reference on legislative privileges on Tuesday, saying he is directly affected by privilege proceedings pending against him in the Maharashtra assembly.
- The privilege action stems from Kamra’s stand‑up special Naya Bharat and a breach‑of‑privilege notice lodged by BJP MLA Pravin Darekar that also named Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare.
- The legal question asks how Article 194(3) (state assembly privileges) should be read with Articles 19(1)(a) (free speech) and 21 (personal liberty), an issue the court first referred to a larger bench in 2003 after conflicting rulings.
- Kamra told the court the proceedings have created a real chilling effect on his work and on public commentary by making it harder to book venues and by leaving criminal and privileges cases unresolved.
- A seven‑judge Constitution bench will begin hearings on October 6 and Kamra wants to be heard before that panel, a development that could shape whether assemblies can question or punish outside critics and journalists.