Honey Singh and Badshah face backlash over obscene lyrics, court demands to takedown the song 'Volume 1'

The Delhi High Court has sentenced the two India's most popular rappers, Honey Singh and Badshah, to remove the song 'Volume 1' which was released in 2006-07 under the label 'Mafia Mundeer.' The court orders came on Thursday (2), stating that the lyrics were obscene. It has ordered the takedown of the song from social media platforms and online locations.

The order was passed by a bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, while the petition was filed by a Hindu group called Hindu Shakti Dal. The court orders said the song was 'grossly vulgar, patently obscene, and derogatory towards women, artistic values, and social norms.' It further stated that the lyrics go beyond being offensive and appear designed to normalize the objectification of women for ridicule and sexual gratification.

Although the song was highly appreciated amongst youth, and is still popular, coming from the early years of Honey Singh. The court still emphasized that such content cannot be justified under the protection of artistic freedom, especially when it is easily accessible online, including to minors. It noted that allowing such material to remain available or be monetized is unacceptable in a civilized society.

Calling it a rare case, the bench said the content deeply shocked its conscience. The judges also noted that even the song’s title was too objectionable to be reproduced in the official order.

The court issued notices to both artists and scheduled the next hearing for May 7. It also directed anyone claiming rights to the song to remove it immediately.

During the hearing, Google’s lawyer informed the court that the URLs identified in the petition had already been taken down and that proper grievance mechanisms are in place.