Comedy vs. Courtroom: Freedom of Speech and Expression in Stand-Up Comedy
The Indian stand-up comedians’ legal woes merely echo a grander conflict between liberty of expression and the limits set by law and society. While humour has been employed since time immemorial as a mode of social and political commentary, it is being perceived more and more as a threat to authority. The case of Kunal Kamra, Munawar Faruqui, and Mohit Morani serves to demonstrate the dangers comedians court if they are at all critical of authority or religious sentiments.