The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered the immediate take down of a controversial song by rappers Honey Singh and Badshah from 2009 titled Volume 1.
The song was released under the name of Mafia Mundeer group.
As per Live Law, Justice Purushaindra Kaurav said that the lyrics of the song are grossly vulgar, obscene, derogatory towards women and no civil society can permit such content to remain on digital platforms.
The track has had numerous re-uploads on platforms like YouTube and other digital music services, leading to varied release dates listed online.
The court has directed the two singers and people claiming rights to the song, its remixes or alternate versions to immediately remove the content and take down the URLs from any social media handles, music platforms and other online platforms.
They also noted that the title of the song cannot be mentioned in the official order as it is “unspeakable”.
This order comes after a plea filed by Hindi Shakti Dal seeking removal of videos and audios of the song from social media platforms.
The plea mentioned that Honey Singh sang a few verses from the song at a recent concert, which confirmed that it was sung by him.
According to Live Law, perusing the song and hearing the lyrics in chambers, the court observed that it is one of the rarest cases where conscience of the court is shaken to the core. It said that it is an unfortunate instance as the lyrics are derogatory towards women and bereft of any artistic or social value. They also mentioned that the lyrics are dehumanising towards women and contain objects of ridicule.
The court, while issuing notice to the singers, ordered that all URLs hosting the song be blocked without delay. It also allowed the petitioner to compile a list of additional links featuring the track — including remixes — and submit it to the Union Government, which will then instruct online platforms to remove the content.
Further, the petitioner has been permitted to use the reporting mechanisms made available by major intermediaries to flag any newly identified URLs. In case of uncertainty, these intermediaries may seek clarification from the Union of India. The Court also gave the petitioner the option to raise grievances directly with Google.