Singer Sonu Nigam has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash a criminal case registered against him over remarks allegedly made during a concert in Bengaluru, which were perceived as offensive to the Kannadiga community.
The case stems from an incident on April 23 at East Point College of Engineering and Technology, where Nigam was performing live. During the concert, some audience members requested that he sing in Kannada. Nigam allegedly declined, citing the “rude” manner of the request and said, “This is the reason Pahalgam happened”, drawing a controversial parallel with a terror attack.
The remark sparked backlash and led to a complaint by TA Dharmaraj, district president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (Narayana Gowda faction). An FIR was registered by Avalahalli police on May 3 under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352(1) (insult to provoke breach of peace), and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Nigam, who later issued an apology stating his respect for Kannadigas, maintained that his comments were misinterpreted and not intended to hurt sentiments. His petition to quash the FIR was listed before a vacation bench of Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar, who adjourned the matter to May 15.
The case has reignited the ongoing debate around linguistic pride and artistic freedom, particularly in multi-lingual cities like Bengaluru.
