Kathmandu: The Kathmandu District Court on Thursday ordered the release of standup comedian Apporwa Kshitiz Singh on Rs 200,000 bail.
A single bench of judge Madhav Prasad Mainali ordered the release of Singh on Rs 250,000 bail, confirmed Deepak Dahal, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Court.
Singh was accused of making derogatory remarks about the Newari culture and people in his comedy performance.
[Related: Is Apoorwa a stand-up offender?]
After some activists filed a complaint, police on August 28 arrested Singh to investigate the charges against him. After Singh tested positive for Covid-19, police freed him on September 9.
However, Singh was again arrested on Monday.
The Kathmandu District Government Attorney Office had filed a case demanding Singh be jailed for one to five years.
A YouTube channel named “Comedy Cafe” uploaded a video of Singh’s stand-up comedy titled “Newarko Parampara” (Newar’s Tradition) on August 26. After widespread criticism, the video was removed within 24 hours.
Singh even apologized for hurting the sentiment of the Newari community through Facebook, however, Newari activists filed a complaint demanding an investigation into the matter.
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