Singer Sonu Nigam moved the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash a criminal case against him for his recent remarks during a concert in Bengaluru. The petition was brought before Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar's vacation bench, which deferred the hearing to May 15.
At a concert held at East Point College of Engineering in Avalahalli, Sonu Nigam was asked by an audience member to sing in Kannada. The singer responded, “The best songs I have sung are in Kannada... I didn’t like it when a boy asked me to sing in Kannada. He was so rudely threatening, ‘Kannada, Kannada.’ This is the reason for the Pahalgam attack.”
The statement drew sharp criticism and sparked backlash across Karnataka, with several film and pro-Kannada organisations accusing him of hurting theirl sentiments by equating linguistic pride with terrorism.
Dharmaraj A, president of the Bengaluru district unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, filed a complaint, stating that Sonu Nigam's words had hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas and were likely to incite violence and communal tension in the state. The Avalahalli police booked the singer for criminal intimidation, public mischief and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.
Following the backlash, Sonu Nigam issued public statements expressing regret and apologised for his comments.