The Delhi High Court Thursday directed to take down and block the circulation of a song by singer and producer Honey Singh and rapper Badshah, with the court finding it “inappropriate” and “unacceptable” to even reproduce the name of the song in its order.
The order comes nearly two decades after the song was released and has been in circulation.
The order came in response to a petition by an organisation named Hindu Shakti Dal objecting to the ‘controversial’ song, which Singh had refrained from publicly admitting to have sung so far. The petition, however, claimed that Singh “recently during a concert… sung verses from his infamous song ‘Vol.1’, further confirming that the same was sung by him.”
The organisation submitted that the “contents of the song are objectionable, vulgar and derogatory towards females, further the lyrics are provocative of violence towards females.”
The petitioner-organisation also relied on the Supreme Court’s characterisation of comments of podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia, as “filthy”, “disgusting” and reflective of a “dirty mind” that has been “vomited” into the public domain,” to make its point on why the song should be blocked from circulation, in compliance with the IT Act and Rules.
Justice Purushaindra Kaurav, agreeing to the contentions raised by the petitioner, observed, “This is one of the rare cases where the conscience of the court is shocked to its absolute core. It is one of those unfortunate instances where the court finds that the song is grossly vulgar, patently obscene, and derogatory towards women, artistic values, and social norms. The lyrics are not merely disrespectful or offensive but are ex facie calculated to normalise the treatment of women as objects of ridicule and sexual gratification.”
After perusing the lyrics of the song as well listening to it in chamber, as recorded in the court’s order, Justice Kaurav noted that interim directions are required to be issued, “as allowing dissemination of such content on online platforms, including access by minors, cannot be countenanced under the guise of artistic freedom of speech. No civilised society can permit such content to remain freely available or be monetised.”
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The court directed Honey Singh and Badshah, and any other persons “claiming rights in the impugned obscene song(s),” to “immediately take down the URLs hosting such content from social media platforms or any other online locations.”
It also directed for blocking of the links forthwith by the authorities of the government and social media intermediaries concerned.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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