Sonu Nigam is a well-established name in the music fraternity. But for some time now, Sonu has been leading the headlines for a controversial remark made at his recent Bengaluru concert. Following the remark, a pro-Kannada group earlier filed a police complaint against the legendary singer on May 2, 2025. On May 14, 2025, Sonu approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the criminal case registered against him over the offensive remarks made at the Bengaluru concert. Now, the Karnataka High Court granted interim relief to the legendary singer over the case registered against him.
Karnataka High Court gives big relief to Sonu Nigam
For the unversed, on April 25, 2025, the singer marked his presence at East Point College of Engineering and Technology in Virgonagar, Bengaluru, for a concert. However, a fan started shouting ‘Kannada, Kannada’, while Sonu was singing a Hindi song. The constant howling from the fan, made Sonu stop his performance mid-way and react to it. Following the fan’s constant demand to sing a Kannada song, the legendary singer compared the fan’s aggressive behaviour with the Pahalgam attack. The statement can be quoted as:
“This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam.”
This comment doesn’t go well with the Kannada community and the Bengaluru district branch of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a pro-Kannada group, filed a police complaint against Sonu on May 2, 2025. Now, on May 14, 2025, the Karnataka HC directed that no coercive steps would be taken against Sonu until the next hearing date, in connection to the case registered against him.
What happened during the hearing related to Sonu Nigam’s case?
During the hearing, related to Sonu’s case, the singer’s counsel, Dhananjay Vidyapati, stated that the complaint against Sonu was filed only for publicity. He argued that the alleged offence of public mischief under Section 505 of the IPC needs to be ruled out. On the other side, the state counsel remarked that Sonu’s controversial statement needs to be examined. Stating that Sonu didn’t cooperate, the state counsel said:
“Whether the comments were intentional or not cannot be adjudicated under Section 482 (CrPC). He has not cooperated with the investigation. He could have at least said he was busy. A person who does not respect due process of law cannot be given benefit under 482… He is not a normal man, but that is precisely why he should not have made such a statement.”
Following the charges brought up by the state counsel, the Karnataka High court asked why Sonu’s statement could not be recorded virtually, the State counsel argued that this would give the legendary singer an excessive comfort. Responding to the concerns put up by Sonu’s counsel, the court also permitted the National Award-winning singer to attend a video call to record his statement. The court also said if there are circumstances where the investigating officer insists on physical attendance, the officer can visit Sonu, with the singer bearing all the associated expenses.
What are your thoughts on Sonu Nigam’s relief by the Karnataka High Court? Let us know.
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