Satluj Controversy: PIL filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court for restoring Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ on OTT after the film was banned in India: ‘This amounts to violation of Article 19’ | Hindi Movie News

Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ was pulled from OTT within two days of its release and created an uproar on the internet. According to the latest update on the matter, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the reinstatement of the film on ZEE5. The request comes days after the film was pulled from the platform less than 48 hours after its release. It claims that the removal violates the constitutional right to free speech and expression, questions the lack of any publicly stated reasons, and requires public authorities to act in a transparent manner.PIL is the latest evolution of the ‘Satluj’ movement, which was inspired by the life of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Since its cancellation, the film has drawn criticism from members of the film industry, Sikh organizations and human rights groups.Advocate Hakam Singh said the petition was filed by Shravan Singh, a resident of Punjab and a subscriber to ZEE5, in public interest.“The film Sutlej, which was released on the ZEE5 platform on the 3rd, was removed on the 5th. The applicant has filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, saying that this amounts to a violation of Article 19, which guarantees the freedom of speech and expression. The applicant has requested that the film be allowed to be reinstated on the platform,” INS will return.He also said that the petition asks why the film was removed without any explanation.“The PIL was filed by Shravan Singh, a subscriber to ZEE5 and a citizen of Punjab, raising issues of public interest. He has questioned the reasons why the film was removed without any information or transparency.”According to Mr. Hakam Singh, though the Center has formed a three-member committee to review the matter, the reasons behind the cancellation of the film have not been explained.“A three-member committee has also been set up by the Center in this regard, but the reasons for stopping the film have not been made public. We hope the petition will be heard by tomorrow or the next day.” Originally titled ‘Punjab 95’, ‘Satluj’ premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 after being off air for almost four years. However, it was released on the platform in India on July 5.According to PTI, the Center has advised ZEE5 to remove the film, citing “security concerns” and provisions under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.The controversy began in 2022, when the filmmakers gave the project to a Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) under its original title, ‘Punjab 95’. The licensing process was halted as manufacturers moved forward to meet the 127 cuts the agency had announced.An official told PTI that the makers have decided to release the film directly on the OTT platform under a different title without resolving the pending issues.“They stuck to the given guidelines and finally released the film quietly on OTT with a new title. OTT does not come under the jurisdiction of CBFC. When the issue came to the government, ZEE was asked to take the film down. The instructions were given due to security concerns. OTT was asked to follow the roles under the central guidelines and release the film, if they want to release the film. Permanent,” said the official.