Singer Sonu Nigam struggles to quash FIR, mentions 'freedom of artistic expression'

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-05-13 14:25:09 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-09-26 14:30:39

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Music artist Sonu Nigam, in a quest to lift the burdening FIR pressed against him in Karnataka, approached the Karnataka High Court, pleading for quashing of the case. The incident arose from a complaint filed against him for hurting the sentiments of the Kannadiga community during his performance at a college.

During his performance at the East Point College in Avalahalli, Nigam sang a few Kannada songs, accompanied by some Hindi songs, as part of his usual practice of interacting with the locals in their language. The event was attended by thousands of students and was also live-streamed. During his performance, Nigam jokingly referred to a particular song as "a bad Kannada song," which was perceived as offensive by the audience. Further, he also allegedly criticized the Karnataka government's decision to stop the use of Hindi terminology in the state.

The FIR, lodged at the Avalahalli police station, accused Nigam of deliberately hurting the sentiments of the Kannadagi community by passing the comments. As a result, he was charged under sections 295(A) and 298 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for hurting religious sentiments and insulting religious beliefs, respectively.

In a twist of events, the Karnataka High Court took up the case on Friday, May 6th, 2022, and issued a notice to the state government and the police, seeking a response within six weeks, with an intention to protect the freedom of artistic expression. With this move, the Court aims to send a message to the State and lift the FIR against the singer.

The matter is still under investigation, and the court is expected to provide a verdict in the coming months.

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