Sunil Pal
FP Photo

Standup comedian Sunil Pal, who was summoned by Andheri Police on Monday in connection to the investigation of the defamation and public mischief case, could not appear before the investigating officer as he was not keeping well. The police have asked him to send a letter stating the same and appear before them as soon as he recovers.

Last week, a doctor had approached Andheri Police to lodge a complaint against Pal for allegedly making derogatory comments on an entertainment channel against doctors working in Covid management and treatment. Accordingly, he was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for defamation (section 500) and statements conducive to public mischief (section 505 (2)) on May 4 for allegedly insulting frontline health workers (FLWs).

An associate of Pal told The Free Press Journal that the comedian's mother had fallen sick and undergone testing, following which Pal too went for a COVID-19 test. While the comedian awaits his reports, he requested investigating officer Shivaji Pawade to continue with the probe and give him some time to recover.

In the monologue shared on an entertainment portal last month, Pal had accused FLWs of being inhuman and a form of evil, who allegedly minted money off of the Covid patients amid the pandemic and crisis that follows. Moreover, in the monologue shared by Pal, he also accused doctors of human trafficking under the garb of the Covid crisis