Rapper Rajesh Mungse gets interim relief from arrest in defamatory song case

Mumbai: Marathi rapper Rajesh Mungase has been granted interim relief from arrest till April 25. He was booked for an alleged defamatory rap song against the BJP-Eknath Shinde government.

His lawyer Shubham Kahite said that the singer approached a court in Kalyan for anticipatory bail on Tuesday. He argued that the FIR was violative of provisions of law and his fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression, reported The Indian Express.

Mungase is booked under IPC sections 501 (Printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 504 (intentional insult with the intention to provoke), and 505(2) (statements conducting public mischief with intent to incite).

"It is submitted that applicant (Mungase) through the means of the present alleged video has raised his voice against the injustice meted out to the common people and has not targeted any person specifically and further it was an exercise through which the applicant was raising pertinent social issues and said FIR has been filed with the sole intention to stifle the voice of upcoming rap song who speak against the government," said the bail plea.

The petition also claimed that the allegations in the FIR are vague and made to harass him. The court has asked the Shivaji Nagar police to file a reply.

The complaint against the artist was filed by a core committee member of the Yuva Sena. In the bail plea, the singer alleged that the complainant herself had criticised the government in a tweet in October 2022 and no action was taken against her.