Mar 9, 2022

Haseena Maan Jaayegi and its disregard for consent

Nyaaya

In the popular song Haseena Maan Jaayegi, we see a man singing – 

“Dil kehta hai ik din haseena maan jaayegi (my heart says that one day this beautiful girl will agree)

Haseena maan jaayegi (this beautiful girl will agree)”

Here, the man assumes that the woman will agree, completely ignoring the fact that the woman has not actually given her consent. In an earlier part of the song, the man makes it clear that the girl has, in fact, been clearly withholding consent through her actions (ruthegi, cheekhegi, chilaayegi (she’ll be upset, she’ll scream, she’ll shout)

The meaning of consent in legal terms is very strict. 

According to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, consent is voluntary, clear and unmistakable agreement by a person who expresses their willingness to take part in a specific sexual act. 

 

A woman should understand what she is agreeing to and what the consequences will be if she agrees to a sexual activity. For example, if she gives her agreement when she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of an act due to unsoundness of mind or intoxication, this is not consent.

 

Further, her consent should not be forcibly obtained by threatening to hurt her or making her fear for her life or the lives of her dear ones. Moreover, even if a woman doesn’t physically resist, this does not automatically mean that she has consented to the sexual activity. 

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Related Guest Blogs

February 14 2022

Censorship on online platforms: Understanding India’s Self Regulation Model

In early 2019, NGO Justice for Rights Foundation submitted a petition to the Delhi High Court as well as the Supreme Court seeking formulation of government guidelines regulating content streamed on online platforms like Netflix, Hotstar etc.((Justice for Rights Foundations v. Union of India, W.P. (C) No. 11164 of 2018.))1 Although no government intervention in […]
Read More >

February 04 2022

From Sholay to Raabta: Copyright in Bollywood

  Sholay is an essential part of Indian cinematic history and has had a lasting impact on Indian pop culture. Almost all the famous scenes and songs are well known, and its characters, from the Jai-Veeru pairing, Gabbar himself, have served as the inspiration for many other personas across Indian cinema. . . Sholay itself […]
Read More >

March 09 2022

Modern Versions of Laws in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata

The days leading up to Diwali are perhaps the most festive time period in the Hindu Calendar. Symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, this is the time when people decorate or renovate their homes, get new clothes made and exchange gifts with relatives. This is also a time when stories related to ancient Indian […]
Read More >

February 14 2022

Nyaaya’s CORONAVIRUS LEGAL TRACKER

  When such a critical multi-stakeholder Government response has to be taken for epidemics, the two primary laws which come into play are the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and the Disaster Management Act, 2005. To read more on the laws, see here.   Let’s see what the latest updates are on how the law is […]
Read More >

February 09 2022

Sedition: The conundrum between disloyalty against the government and freedom of speech

“Sedition has been described as disloyalty in action, and the law considers as sedition all those practices which have for their object to excite discontent or dissatisfaction, to create public disturbance, or to lead to civil war; to bring into hatred or contempt the Sovereign or the Government, the laws or constitutions of the realm, […]
Read More >

March 09 2022

Top 10 Indian movies with Courtroom Face-offs

Pink (Hindi, 2016) Nerkonda Paarvai (Tamil, 2019) Court (Marathi, 2014) Section 375 (Hindi, 2019) Oh My God! (Hindi, 2012) Mulk (Hindi, 2018) Jolly LLB (Hindi, 2013) Damini (Hindi, 1993) Shahid (Hindi, 2013) Gauravam (Tamil, 1973)
Read More >

March 09 2022

Limericks on Consumer Protection

There once was a woman who loved white, She bought washing powder to make her clothes bright. But though it claimed to be best, It failed each ‘whiteness’ test, So for misleading ads, she went to fight. ———————————– There once was a man who loved shopping Online, he went from site to site hopping. But […]
Read More >

March 09 2022

Exploring the Underlying Themes of Violence Against Women in Fairytales

Sleeping Beauty In Sleeping Beauty, the cursed princess falls asleep for a hundred years. Then, a prince wakes her up by kissing her. This fact situation brings up the much-discussed question of consent. Consent means voluntary, clear and unmistakable agreement expressed by a person to take part in a specific act. As you can imagine, […]
Read More >