Sonu Nigam Gets Karnataka HC Relief in Bengaluru Concert FIR

The Karnataka High Court has temporarily restrained the Bengaluru police from taking any coercive steps against playback singer Sonu Nigam. This comes in response to a First Information Report (FIR) filed against him over alleged remarks made during a live concert at East Point College in Bengaluru on April 25–26.

The FIR, registered on May 3, was based on a complaint filed by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and its member Dharma Raj Ananthaiha. The complainant accused Nigam of hurting the sentiments of the Kannadiga community. The allegation stems from a moment during the concert when Nigam reportedly refused a request to sing a Kannada song and allegedly compared the situation to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The complainant claimed the comparison was offensive and portrayed Kannadigas as intolerant.

Nigam approached the High Court on Tuesday, seeking to quash both the complaint and the FIR. His plea included a request to halt the police investigation until the matter was fully heard. In response, Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar granted interim relief and directed that “no coercive action” be taken until the next hearing.

The court, however, instructed Nigam to cooperate with the police. It allowed his statement to be recorded via videoconferencing and clarified that his physical presence in Bengaluru was not mandatory. If the investigating officer required an in-person statement, the court said the officer must travel to Nigam’s location, with travel expenses borne by the singer.

The state’s counsel assured the court that there was no immediate plan to arrest or take coercive action, provided Nigam cooperates. When the state insisted on his physical presence in Bengaluru, the court noted, “The petitioner is not an ordinary person but a celebrity,” and stated that his arrival in the city could cause unnecessary commotion.

Sonu Nigam, in a social media video after the event, had defended himself. He claimed that a group of young men at the concert had rudely demanded he sing in Kannada while he was performing Hindi songs. He later clarified that he respects the Kannada language and people, and his words had been taken out of context.

The court has stayed further investigation until the next hearing.