Chennai, Nov 19: The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained the Madras Music Academy from presenting the Sangita Kalanidhi M. S. Subbulakshmi Award to celebrated musician T. M. Krishna. This year, the Sangita Kalanidhi Award has been conferred upon T. M. Krishna in recognition of his sustained excellence throughout a long career in Carnatic music.

However, Justice Jayachandran of the Madras High Court, in an interim order, ruled that while the award could be presented, it must not be in the name of M. S. Subbulakshmi. The court issued the interim order based on a suit filed by Shrinivasan, grandson of late M.S. Subbulakshmi. He argued that conferring the award in her name contradicted her wishes and mandate. The court dismissed an application by the Music Academy challenging the suit.

In his order, Justice Jayachandran observed: “The best way to honour a departed soul is to honour and respect her wishes, not to disrespect them. If any person truly reveres and regards M.S. Subbulakshmi, after knowing her desires and mandate, they should not continue to present an award in her name.”

Shrinivasan, who resides in Bengaluru, had approached the court, contending that presenting the Sangita Kalanidhi M. S. Subbulakshmi Award to T. M. Krishna was inappropriate. He compared this act to bestowing a Bhakti award upon an atheist. Shrinivasan cited past instances where Krishna allegedly referred to Subbulakshmi as “the greatest hoax of the twentieth century” and a “saintly Barbie doll.”

He argued that such statements caused distress to Subbulakshmi’s family and made conferring the award upon Krishna paradoxical, given his critical stance on her legacy. The award, instituted by a newspaper group along with Madras Music Academy to honour the late stalwart, has been presented annually to the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ selected by the Music Academy.

The Academy clarified that the recipient is chosen transparently, and Subbulakshmi’s family had not raised any objections since the award’s inception. However, Shrinivasan maintained that Krishna’s past remarks disqualified him from being an appropriate recipient of an award in Subbulakshmi’s name. The court has adjourned further hearings in the case.