Satluj row reaches High Court, PIL seeks return of Diljit Dosanjh's film on ZEE5

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the restoration of Satluj, a film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, after it was removed from streaming platform ZEE5 just two days after its release.

The petition, filed under Article 226 of the Constitution by Sharwan Singh, has named the Union Government, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Punjab Government, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and ZEE5 as respondents.

According to the plea, Satluj premiered on ZEE5 on July 3, 2026, but was taken down on July 5. The petitioner claims the platform cited only "current circumstances" as the reason for the removal and did not disclose any statutory, judicial or governmental order directing the takedown.

'THE REMOVAL WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL'

The PIL contends that the removal of the film without any publicly disclosed legal basis violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression, as well as the public's right to receive information. It has urged the High Court to direct ZEE5 to restore the film across India and disclose any legal, statutory or judicial order, if one exists, that led to its removal.

The petition states that the film was originally titled Punjab 95 before being released as Satluj. It is based on the life and work of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who documented the alleged illegal cremations during the militancy period in Punjab.

According to the petitioner, the events depicted in the film are already part of the public record and have been examined by the Supreme Court, other courts, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and other official proceedings. The plea argues that the film does not reveal any prohibited or confidential material but presents judicially documented events in a cinematic format.

The PIL further argues that if the film was removed without following the procedure established by law, the action would be contrary to the rule of law. It also states that the takedown affects the rights of subscribers who paid to access content that had been lawfully certified and made available on the platform.

Apart from seeking the immediate restoration of Satluj, the petitioner has requested the court to direct the respondents to disclose the reasons behind the takedown and to ensure that any future removal of CBFC-certified content is carried out only through due legal process.

The matter is expected to be taken up for hearing by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the coming days.

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