Yo Yo Honey Singh: India court orders action against rapper

Yo Yo Honey Singh has been involved in a controversy over the lyrics of some of his songs

A court in India has ordered the Punjab government to take action against rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh for singing "vulgar songs".

The Punjab and Haryana high court said such singers should be boycotted.

The rapper, 29, has been involved in a controversy over the lyrics of his song Main hoon balatkari (I am a rapist).

In the past, the rapper has said he did not write the lyrics, he only sang them and accused his critics of using him as "a scapegoat".

But at an earlier hearing, judges criticised Honey Singh for singing "shameful songs" which were "disrespectful to women".

Critics say the lyrics of some of his songs depict violence against women and rape.

Correspondents say his songs were widely criticised on social networking sites after the December 2012 gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi.

His New Year concert at a hotel in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, was also cancelled following online protests.

His manager told Indian media that the show was cancelled out of solidarity with the rape victim - a statement disputed by the hotel.