Sonu Nigam's controversial remarks on Kannada lead to court intervention

Bengaluru

The High Court of Karnataka has issued an order preventing any coercive action against singer Sonu Nigam following his controversial remarks about Kannada.

The controversy arose after Sonu Nigam was invited to perform at a private college event in Bengaluru, where he was asked to sing a Kannada song. During the event, there were reports of a scuffle, which was alleged to be a result of a protest by some individuals. Based on this incident, a case was registered against Sonu Nigam in Bengaluru.

Sonu Nigam filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court, seeking to quash the case and prevent any coercive measures from being taken against him. After hearing the petition, the single-judge bench of the High Court directed that no forceful action be initiated against the singer during the investigation.

During the hearing, the court instructed Sonu Nigam to appear for questioning. The court also permitted his lawyer to record his statement via video conference, and if necessary, Sonu Nigam could visit the police station at his own expense for questioning. The court further ordered that the final investigation report be submitted to the trial court and restrained any coercive action until then.

Sonu Nigam's lawyer, Dhananjay Vaidya, argued that the case was filed based on a third-party complaint, and there was no intention of insulting Kannada language or culture. He clarified that the remarks were misreported and that Sonu Nigam had already apologized to Kannada-speaking people. The government’s lawyer, B.N. Jagdish, supported the court's stance.