The Karnataka high court on May 15 ordered that there would be no coercive steps taken against singer Sonu Nigam if he cooperated with the probe in the Pahalgam remark row. The filing of a final report in the case was stayed until the next date of hearing. The matter was heard by a single judge vacation bench.
Sonu had moved the court on May 13 with a petition to quash the criminal proceedings filed against him on May 3 under sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352(1) (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 353 (public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A controversy had erupted when some people in the audience where Sonu was performing in Bangalore on April 25 insisted that he sing in Kannada, allegedly prompting him to draw a reference to the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack.
In the court proceedings on May 15, Sonu Nigam’s counsel argued that the comment made by the singer at the event had not led to any mischief as the programme had gone on peacefully for hours thereafter. He added that the complaint was made by a person who was not even present at the venue. It was also argued that Sonu’s statement did not attract the sections of law cited in the FIR.
The state counsel said, Sonu Nigam made the statement during the programme which was broadcast live. He added, “In the Madhya Pradesh high court, similar allegations were made against a minister, and the court took a suo moto cognisance and directed the FIR to be registered, and the Supreme Court had refused to interfere.”
The court granted Sonu permission to appear through video conference before the investigator if so required for the purpose of recording his statement.
