India, March 29 -- A second-year law student has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Bombay High Court, urging it to establish guidelines to prevent arbitrary First Information Reports (FIRs) against artists and public speakers engaged in satire and political criticism.

The PIL comes in the wake of an FIR registered against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and seeks a declaration that his speech was protected under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.

The controversy revolves around Kamra's satirical song, which was a modified version of a Hindi track from the 1997 film Dil Toh Pagal Hai. The song, which critiqued the 2022 rebellion led by Eknath Shinde against Uddhav Tha...