Bombay HC Grants Relief to Sonu Nigam, Bars Bihar Lawyer from Impersonating Him on X.
In a significant order, the Bombay High Court has restrained a Bihar-based lawyer from posting under the name of singer Sonu Nigam on X (formerly Twitter), following allegations of online impersonation and misuse of the artist’s identity.
The court passed the ex-parte interim order on Friday after Nigam approached it, claiming that a criminal lawyer named Sonu Nigam Singh had been operating an X handle using the singer’s name and was posting politically and communally sensitive content, leading to public confusion and backlash against the real Sonu Nigam.
According to a report by Bar and Bench, Justice R.I. Chagla directed Singh to clearly display his full name on the platform to prevent further misrepresentation. The order came in response to a plea filed by Nigam’s legal counsel, Hiren Kamod, who argued that Singh was infringing on the singer’s personality rights by exploiting his name and public image.
Kamod told the court that Singh had amassed over 90,000 followers on X — including public figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former minister Smriti Irani — by using the name ‘Sonu Nigam’. He cited 14 examples of inflammatory posts made by Singh, including one targeting BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over dubbing of Kannada films.
“This is not mere confusion. Because of Singh’s replies, the real Sonu Nigam is receiving targeted abuse every day. It’s absolute chaos, My Lord,” Kamod submitted, pointing out that the impersonation had caused reputational damage to the singer and distress to his family.
Nigam, a National Award-winning playback singer, is not active on X and had formally quit the platform in 2017. He maintains an official presence only on Instagram, where he shares updates on his music and personal life.
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