Maharashtra Cyber Cell turns down Honey Singh's plea to appear on October 22

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has refused Yo Yo Honey Singh's request to move his appearance to October 22. The rapper has been told to come before its investigators on Friday, October 16, as summoned.

At the heart of the case is a complaint over allegedly objectionable remarks Singh made on stage at a concert. A clip of those remarks spread widely on social media and drew criticism. Singh later apologised in a video, saying the clip had been edited in a way that made it look offensive.

Singh has now missed three summonses. He stayed away from questioning on October 5 and then asked for more time to appear before the investigating officer. He told the authorities he could not come because he was abroad.

A senior Cyber Cell official said that if the rapper misses this date too, the process to issue a Look Out Circular against him could begin.

His music also put him before a court earlier this year. In April, the Delhi High Court directed the Union government to remove links to his song Volume 1 from social media and sharing platforms. The court called the track obscene and derogatory towards women, and said it could not be allowed in the name of free expression. Singh released the song in 2006 with rapper Badshah.