The Bombay High Court issued an ex-parte order against a lawyer impersonating singer Sonu Nigam on X, directing him to use his full name, after the singer alleged a violation of his personality rights in court.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court issued an ex-parte order to prohibit an X (formerly Twitter) account from falsely representing itself as renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam. The account, run by an individual named Sonu Nigam Singh, has been instructed to display his full and original name on his X profile.
Justice R.I. Chagla granted interim relief while reviewing a petition filed by Sonu Nigam, who alleged that his personality rights were being violated.
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The singer took legal action after Sonu Nigam Singh, who claims to be a criminal lawyer from Bihar, made several politically and communally charged posts under the name “Sonu Nigam.”
According to the petition, Singh’s online activities created the impression that these posts originated from the singer, leading to backlash and hostility directed at both Nigam and his family. Advocate Hiren Kamod, representing the singer, argued that Singh misrepresented himself and shared controversial content without clarifying that he was not the artist.
Kamod cited fourteen specific instances where Singh either made communal comments or responded in ways that reinforced his false identity.
One notable post targeted BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, stating,
“Don’t dub Kannada movies in Hindi! Don’t release Kannada movies pan-India! Do you have the guts to say this to Kannada film stars, Mr. @TejasviSurya, or are you just another language warrior?”
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Kamod also noted that Singh accepted praise intended for the singer without any clarification. He highlighted instances where Singh made derogatory remarks about the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team after their Indian Premier League victory.
While there was no evidence of financial gain, Kamod argued that Singh had benefited socially and reputationally by exploiting the singer’s name, amassing over 90,000 followers on X, including notable figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former minister Smriti Irani.
He emphasized that this misrepresentation has resulted in ongoing online hostility directed at the singer and his family.
He stated,
“Because of Sonu Nigam Singh replying to the posts… Look at the hate Sonu Nigam is getting. Absolute chaos, My Lord. This is what the plaintiff is facing every day since August 2024,”
It is worth noting that Nigam had left Twitter in 2017, shortly after the suspension of his colleague Abhijeet Bhattacharya’s account, citing the platform’s one-sidedness.
Although Sonu Nigam has not trademarked his name, Kamod argued that a name can acquire trademark status through public recognition even in the absence of commercial use. He contended that Singh, despite sharing the name, cannot use ‘Sonu Nigam’ in a way that misleads the public.
After considering these arguments, the Court restrained Singh from continuing to misrepresent himself as the singer and directed him to use his full name, Sonu Nigam Singh, as the display name on his X account.
Case Title: Sonu Nigam v Sonu Nigam Singh