CHENNAI: A division bench of Madras High Court on Friday quashed the single judge's order restraining the Music Academy and The Hindu newspaper from conferring the Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi mirror award for the current year to popular musician TM Krishna.
The bench comprising Justices SS Sundar and P Dhanabal passed the orders on the appeals filed by the Music Academy, THG Publishing Private Limited and The Hindu daily.
Since the injunction has been quashed, there is no legal bar on conferring the accolade to Krishna.
The single judge, on November 19, 2024, barred them from conferring the mirror award in the late singer's name, holding that the institution of the award in her name went against her will but it can be presented without her name.
However, the judge did not bar the Music Academy from conferring its ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ Award to Krishna.
The orders were passed on the civil suit filed by V Srinivasan, grandson the legendary singer. He had alleged that Krishna had made vituperative, derogatory remarks against Subbulakshmi due to which he should not be presented the award in her name. Moreover, he submitted that the will of the late singer prohibited instituting awards in her memory.
However, the appellants contended that it is clear from the recitals of the Will that there is no bar in respect of any award, much less a cash prize.
The appeals questioned the locus standi of the plaintiff Shrinivasan saying that he is just one of the several beneficiaries of the last will of Subbulakshmi and as such he does not derive any enforceable right to sustain the suit as a legal representative of the testator and the judge had failed to consider such facts.
During arguments, the division bench questioned whether the Will had barred third parties from instituting awards in her memory.
