Madras High Court Overturns Decision Blocking Music Academy from Awarding M.S. Subbulakshmi Prize to T.M. Krishna
In a recent ruling, the Madras High Court overturned a previous injunction that had prevented the Music Academy from awarding the Sankita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi Award to Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna. The decision came from a division bench comprising Justices S.S. Sundar and P. Dhanabal, which allowed an appeal by the Music Academy against the November 19, 2024 order by Justice G. Jayachandran.
Justice Jayachandran’s initial ruling had responded to a lawsuit filed by V. Srinivasan, the grandson of the legendary singer M.S. Subbulakshmi. Srinivasan’s suit claimed that Krishna, known for his critical and often controversial views on traditional Carnatic practices, had made derogatory comments about his grandmother on social media, thus tarnishing her reputation. Consequently, the single judge had restrained the Music Academy from conferring the award in Subbulakshmi’s name but did not prohibit the award from being given to Krishna without the association to Subbulakshmi.
The Music Academy, a prestigious institution in Chennai dedicated to promoting Carnatic music, had initially chosen to honor Krishna with the award for his contributions to the art form in 2024. This decision was challenged based on the contentions regarding Krishna’s public statements about Subbulakshmi.
In their ruling to overturn the injunction, Justices Sundar and Dhanabal did not delve into the specifics of the allegations against Krishna but focused instead on procedural aspects and the broader implications of restraining cultural institutions from recognizing artistic achievements due to external controversies.
