Stand-up comedian Pranit More issued a detailed public apology on Saturday, June 13, 2026 through a video on social media, accepting that he "deserved the hate" and admitting a "lapse in judgement" during a crowd-work segment at his Gurugram show where an audience member made remarks widely condemned as normalising entitlement and objectifying women. More said he got carried away by audience laughter and failed to intervene when he should have, adding that the remarks did not reflect his personal views. He appealed to the public for a chance to improve, saying "Please mujhe ek chance do," and confirmed he is cooperating with authorities in ongoing legal proceedings.
The apology came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the controversy at a press conference on Friday, June 12, 2026 drawing a clear line between protected expression and its misuse. Fadnavis said that while the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, it also carries built-in safeguards against content that violates human dignity. He added that stand-up comedy is a form of entertainment he personally enjoys, but performers must respect "minimum parameters of dignity" and cannot use the stage as a licence to demean people.
The controversy had escalated sharply following the viral spread of a crowd-work clip from More's Gurugram show in which audience member Himanshu Jangra, recounted spending approximately Rs 370 on a date and implied he expected physical intimacy in return. More's amplification of the remark drew massive online backlash for normalising entitlement and undermining consent. A second clip involving Dr. Sejal Pawar, a final-year MBBS student at Mumbai's KEM Hospital, making insensitive remarks about cadavers also resurfaced, adding to public outrage. Maharashtra Cyber Police subsequently filed an FIR naming More, Jangra, Pawar, and others on charges related to obscene content.
Adding to the controversy, a fresh viral video has surfaced showing three MBBS students from Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, laughing and joking about cadavers on campus, with one student gesturing with a dissection saw. Those identified as most likely involved are Tanish Baweja, Navya Malhotra, Saboor Nizami, and Tanishq Chhabra; the college has not issued any statement yet. Separately, Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital has launched an internal inquiry into the Dr. Sejal Pawar matter, who is also accused of using a fake ST certificate to secure her MBBS seat. The All India Medical Students' Association has strongly condemned the disrespectful portrayal of cadavers and body donors for entertainment purposes across all the incidents.
The incident has triggered a wider industry debate on the ethics of crowd-work comedy, accountability in live performance, and where the line between edgy humour and harmful content lies. Dr. Pawar had separately issued her own apology taking full responsibility for her remarks.
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