HC stops M S Subbulakshmi award to T M Krishna

Chennai: Madras high court has restrained Music Academy from conferring ‘Sangita Kalanidhi M S Subbulakshmi' award on singer T M Krishna for 2024.Justice G Jayachandran, however, said there is no bar on conferring the award without using the name of M S Subbulakshmi to recognise the achievement of Krishna. The ‘mirror award', therefore, cannot carry M S Subbulakshmi's name.The judge was passing the order on a plea moved by V Shrinivasan, grandson of Carnatic legend M S Subbulakshmi, alleging that conferring the award on Krishna would amount to awarding a ‘Bhakti' prize to an atheist, considering the ‘vile, vituperative, and scandalous' attacks made by him against the late Subbulakshmi.In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Jayachandran said: "The best way to honour a departed soul is to respect her wish and not disrespect it," pointing to her desire not to institute any award in her name."Applying the Armchair Rule in the Family Law, the plaintiff who is the grandson of the late singer, as a beneficiary of her Will, has interest in the matter and locus to maintain the suit," the court added.According to Shrinivasan, after the demise of his grandmother in 2004, the academy, along with an English daily (The Hindu), instituted a cash award in 2005 of 1 lakh styled as the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi M S Subbulakshmi Award' to perpetuate her memory.It was awarded every year together with the Music Academy's Sangita Kalanidhi Award during its annual concert season. On Mar 17, the academy issued a press release announcing the conferment of the award on T M Krishna at its 98th annual conference in Dec, the petitioner said."The announcement has come as a surprise to the family of Subbulakshmi and has drawn criticism from several respected artists in the field of Carnatic music," he said.Over the last decade or so, Krishna has unjustifiably resorted to vile, vituperative, and scandalous attacks against Subbulakshmi in the press and on social media, he added."The statements of Krishna are downright disgraceful, unjustifiably questioning the credibility of the renowned singer at the altar of cheap politics. He would not have dared to throw such calumny on the late singer during her lifetime," he said.
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