The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the government on a petition to constitute a regulatory authority to censor or review non-film songs, their lyrics and videos, which are made available to the general public through various media platforms such as YouTube and others.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, seeking their stand on the plea by two lawyers.
The petition filed by advocates Neha Kapoor and Mohit Bhadu claimed that there was need for a regulatory body to review non-film songs and music videos as many of them contained obscene or vulgar content.
The petition, filed through advocate Rishu Singh, has sought a direction to make it mandatory for composers of non-film songs to receive certification before such songs are made available in the public domain.
“Such non-film songs have the effect of eroding the Indian value system and instigating the listeners, especially the youth in believing that drugs, alcohol and most importantly objectifying women is acceptable and these things are necessary to survive at par with your peers in the society,” the petition has alleged.