Bengaluru– Popular singer Sonu Nigam has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash an FIR registered against him over remarks he made during a recent performance in Bengaluru. A bench led by Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar admitted the petition on Tuesday and scheduled the hearing for May 15.
The FIR, filed by Karnataka Police on May 3, accuses Nigam of making comments that allegedly linked a demand for a Kannada song at his April 22 concert to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. The singer was interrupted by an audience member calling for a Kannada song, prompting him to respond that although he had long sung in multiple languages and respected Kannada deeply, he disapproved of how the request was made. He went on to say that it is because of such behavior that incidents like the Pahalgam attack occur.
The remarks sparked backlash from several Kannada organizations, who demanded an unconditional apology. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) subsequently barred Nigam from working in the Kannada film industry and called on him to publicly apologize.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint by Dharmaraj A., president of the Bengaluru City District unit of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike. Nigam has been booked under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (statements inciting public mischief), and 352(1) (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace or other offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He has also received a notice to appear for questioning by the Avalahalli Police, who are handling the investigation.
Following the controversy, Nigam issued an apology via Instagram, stating that his love for Karnataka is greater than his ego and reaffirming his respect for the state and its people. (Source: IANS)
