The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging singer Honey Singh’s latest song, Maniac, which allegedly portrays women as “sexual objects” and contains vulgar language.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the petitioner, Lavkush Kumar, to explore civil or criminal remedies instead.

Kumar’s counsel argued that specific lines in the song contained “Bhojpuri vulgarity.”

However, Chief Justice Upadhyaya questioned this characterization, stating, “Vulgarity does not have a region. You say Bhojpuri vulgarity. What is this? Tomorrow you’ll say Delhi is vulgar. Vulgarity is vulgarity. No region.”

The petitioner further contended that the song had amassed millions of views on YouTube and required immediate action. In response, the Court clarified that if the petitioner believed the content to be obscene or vulgar, legal provisions allowed for filing a First Information Report (FIR). “If there is a cognizable offence, please lodge a complaint or FIR. If it is not lodged, you know the procedure,” the Court remarked.

Dismissing the PIL, the bench underscored that writs are generally issued against the State or public authorities, and this matter did not fall under public law. “If you are aggrieved by obscenity, remedies exist under the criminal justice system. This issue does not belong in public law,” the Chief Justice stated.

The Court also took issue with the repeated reference to Bhojpuri culture in the petition. “Perhaps you are not aware of Bhojpuri culture and Bhojpuri songs. Don’t do this. This does not lie in the realm of public law. Therefore, we won’t entertain it. You may pursue remedies under criminal and civil laws,” CJ said.

Following this, the petition was withdrawn with liberty granted to the petitioner to seek appropriate legal recourse.

Case Title: Lavkush Kumar v. Union of India & Ors.