The Madras High Court, in an interim order on Tuesday, restrained the Madras Music Academy in Chennai from presenting the to Carnatic vocalist and activist TM Krishna, reported LiveLaw.

Justice G Jayachandran clarified that while the Music Academy could give the award and a cash prize to Krishna, the award should not be named after Subbulakshmi as it would violate the iconic singer’s will.

Subbulakshmi had said in her will in 1997 that no trust, memorial, or foundation should be established in her name and that no funds should be collected for such purposes.

The court ruled in favour of V Shrinivasan, Subbulakshmi’s grandson. “The best way to honour a departed soul is to respect her wishes and not act against them,” the judge remarked.

Shrinivasan argued that Krishna’s past criticisms of Subbulakshmi, including remarks he allegedly made on social media and in articles, disqualified him from receiving an award bearing her name.

According to the petition, Krishna had described Subbulakshmi as “” through an anonymous quote and called her a “saintly Barbie doll” in his commentary.

These statements, Shrinivasan claimed, were attempts to malign her legacy and undermine her contributions to Carnatic music.

The Music Academy had sought to have the case dismissed, arguing...