Ramanujam's vanishing theorem states for $X$ a Kähler surface and (1)$D$ a 1-connected divisor, (2)$h^0(O\_X(nD))\ge 2$ for some $n\ge 1$, (3) $|nD|$ is not an irrational pencil, we have $h^1(O\_X(-D))=0$.


In the proof given in BPV, it used a topological lemma which is based on Hodge decomposition of a Kähler manifold.


I was wondering if the theorem can be generalized to singular varieties. So I want to know if there is an algebraic proof which avoids hodge decomposition? Or is there already such a generalization for singluar variety? 



Algebraic proof of Ramanujam's vanishing theorem
Perhaps this helps: Kyungho Oh, [*Vanishing Theorems for Singular Varieties*](http://www.ams.org/journals/proc/1993-119-01/S0002-9939-1993-1163335-X/S0002-9939-1993-1163335-X.pdf), (Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society).


