Line Of Decency Crossed Cm Fadnavis Breaks Silence On Case Against Comedian More 2 Others

Reacting to the recent controversies surrounding stand-up comedian Pranit More’s viral videos, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Friday said the Constitution should be respected and not abused.

During a media interaction in Mumbai, the chief minister said that when the line of decency is crossed, it also amounts to infringement of the freedom and dignity of people and society guaranteed by the Constitution.

His comments came a day after the Maharashtra Police registered a complaint against More, and two participants – web developer Himanshu Jangra, and doctor Sejal Pawar – for their comments during the crowd-work segment of a stand-up show.

Crowd work is a style of stand-up comedy wherein the performer converses directly with the audience.

The chief minister said, “The state government is not against stand-up comedy or comedians. I personally watch stand-up comedy. It is a form of entertainment. There is no question of putting any restrictions on it.”

“But when you live in a society, it is expected that certain dignity has to be maintained. When that line of decency is crossed, it affects others living in society and amounts to an infringement on their freedom,” he added.

On Thursday, a case was registered at the Nodal Cyber police station of the Maharashtra Police under Sections 75(1)(iv), 75(3), 294, and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, against stand-up comedian More, Jangra, and Pawar.

The complaint was lodged after videos of Pawar went viral, in which she made objectionable comments concerning male cadaver donors. In another video, Jangra is seen making a ‘Rs 370 biryani’ remark, allegedly suggesting the ‘right’ to physical intimacy in return for money spent on a date with a woman. Both of them were part of the audience for separate episodes performed by comedian More.