After the Punjab and Haryana High Court said “no no” to provide relief to Punjabi rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, the controversial singer on Thursday moved an application with Nawanshahr police for quashing the first information report (FIR) registered against him.
Honey Singh was booked by the Nawanshahr police on May 17 for rendering obscene songs in pubic place under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 294 entails that anybody rendering obscene songs in or near a public place is liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term up to three months, or with fine, or with both.
The High Court, only previous week, had refused to interfere in the FIR registered against rapper Honey Singh for singing vulgar songs, maintaining that it was for State Governments to decide “whether they should set up some authority for screening the songs before they are released”.
The Court has also asserted that the rapper could resort to appropriate remedy if there was any.
The case was registered against Honey Singh only after the High Court virtually passed strictures against the State for its inaction in the matter. The court had then maintained that singers like
Honey Singh should be “boycotted” as “his songs make us hang our heads in shame”. Appearing before the High Court bench last week, the singer had filed a written submission to answer the public interest litigation filed by the NGO — HElP — against him for promoting obscenity in public life.
Honey Singh denied singing the obscene song and claimed that he was a “victim of mistaken identity”. As demanded by the NGO in its petition, Honey Singh too favoured the setting up a censor board for screening songs before they are sung in public.
Honey Singh caught in the controversy over the lyrics of his song ‘Main Hun Balatkari’ (I am a rapist), which he claimed that he had never sung. He accused his critics of using him as a “scapegoat”.
His song, along with many others, came into light following the infamous 2012 Delhi gang rape incident, criticised for disrespecting women, and promoting vulgarity.
Honey Singh’s other popular tracks, including Brown Rang, Dope Shope and Angreji Beat are criticised for being misogynist, demeaning for women, and depicting violence against women and rape.