The Delhi high court has ordered rapper-singer Honey Singh and Badshah to take off their controversial song Volume 1 off all online platforms at once citing the explicit and offensive nature of the song. The order follows a new surge of interest in the song, despite the two artists still grabbing headlines due to their decades-long feud.
The Delhi court in its observations identified the song as grossly vulgar and patently obscene and goes further to state that the song is highly derogatory to women and it contravenes the fundamental principles of artistic and social standards. The bench also observed that the words extend beyond the realm of offensiveness and seem to encourage objectification of women and represent them as an object of derision and sexual satisfaction.
Focusing on the greater social implications, the court was concerned with the availability of such content, and especially to minors, with ease. It declared that it is not permissible to release the song further in the name of artistic freedom and that no civilised society can allow such content to be available or monetised online.
The court has ordered all the interested parties such as streaming sites that host the song to remove the material immediately. The ruling is a major step towards controlling digital content that is either damaging or offensive.
Honey Singh and Badshah, who started their music life as a rap group, Mafia Mundeer, had already worked on a number of songs before they separated in 2012 due to personal and professional disputes.