The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab government to take action against controversial Punjabi singer Honey Singh for singing vulgar songs. The observation by has come as a setback for rapper Honey Singh as the high court said such singers should be boycotted.
Honey Singh was supposed to appear before the Punjab and Haryana high court Tuesday to present his defence on the charges. However, as he was not present in the court, the court has issued fresh notices against him and asked him to remain present in court on July 4.
In its observation the court said, “In his songs, there is nothing except abuses.”
The high court had earlier asked the singer to respond to the charges while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Nawanshahr NGO Help.
Alleging that vulgar songs were being recorded and played by some Punjabi singers, the NGO had requested the court to frame guidelines to put curbs on the growing menace of songs with vulgar/obscene/lewd/ misogynist lyrics.
The PIL also mentioned how the singers were abusing their right to speech and expression by violating all limits of decency.
It has also requested the court to invoke the provisions of section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, saying the issue warrants imposition of provisions enshrined in the IPC section.
Section 294 terms obscene or lewd songs at public places an offence.
The NGO had also mentioned that as part of the right to life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution, women have the right to protect their dignity.
The dignity of a human being, it says, cannot be violated under the garb of right to freedom of speech, it said.