The Madras High Court on Tuesday restrained Music Academy from conferring the award, instituted after legendary carnatic singer M S Subbulakshmi, on renowned vocalist T M Krishna.

“Instituting an award after the late Subbulakshmi was against the will of the legendary singer,” Justice G Jayachandran held, allowing a petition filed by her grandson, V Srinivasan.

The Sangita Kalanidhi award of the academy is the highest and prestigious one in the carnatic music world and the recipient is honoured with a gold medal and a citation. And he or she presides over the annual Margazhi concert. The award has been rechristened as MS Subbulakshmi Sangita Kalanidhi Award.

The petitioner had moved the court after the academy announced the conferment of the inaugural award on Krishna. It had also sparked off a controversy with the traditionalists in the carnatic music world opposing it on the ground that Krishna had breached the sacredness and purity of carnatic music. Some vocalists also abstained from last year’s annual Margazhi concert at the academy as a protest.

In his plea filed in August this year, Srinivasan submitted that the late singer had explicitly made it clear in her will that there should be no trust, foundation or memorial in her name after her demise. As such, the academy instituting an award after her and conferring it on Krishna was against the spirit of her will, he added.

Further, he argued that bestowing it on Krishna was questionable since he had been making vile vituperative and scandalous attacks on Subbulakshmi in social media with the intention of maligning her reputation.

Quoting from the Will, the petition said, “It is my earnest desire and mandate that after my demise, no trust, foundation, memorial or bust be created in my name or memory, nor any funds, donations, or contributions be collected for these purposes using my name.”

In its counter, the academy contended that, no donation or contribution otherwise has been collected in the name of the late singer and neither a trust has been formed for this purpose and hence it was not against her Will. It also argued that Krishna, being an eminent vocalist, was chosen.

In his order, the Judge observed, “If any person is really having reverence and regard for M S Subbulakshmi, then after knowing her desire and mandate, they should not give any award in her name.” However, it was clarified that there was no bar on the academy conferring awards on Krishna without naming after the legendary singer.