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The court also allowed the singer to appear through video conferencing to record his statement if necessary by the investigating officer (IO). Alternatively, if the IO insists on appearing personally, the court said that the officer could meet Sonu, and the singer will have to bear the related expenses.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed that no punitive step would be taken against singer Sonu Nigam till the next hearing in connection with the recent criminal case filed against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks during a concert. The court also allowed the singer to appear through video conferencing to record his statement if necessary by the investigating officer (IO). Alternatively, if the IO insists on appearing personally, the court said that the officer could meet Sonu, and the singer will have to bear the related expenses.
The case stems from the complaint lodged after the incident in a concert. Some Kannada fans requested Sonu to sing in Kannada. The singer allegedly objected to the accent of the request and allegedly commented, “that is why Pahalgam took place,” it was compared to the terrorist attack on 22 April in Jammu and Kashmir. During the hearing, Sonu’s lawyer Dhananjay Vidyapati argued that the complaint was filed only for campaigning and under Section 505 of the IPC does not become an alleged crime of public mischief.
He also said that it was a single incident, the concert went on smoothly and the complaint was lodged by a third party. However, the state counsel said that Sonu’s comments should be investigated during the investigation to detect the intention. The court filed the argument of the state government that if Sonu cooperates in the investigation, no strict steps will be taken against him. The court banned the filing of any final report in the case until the next hearing.
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