Chandigarh: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday, seeking restoration of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film Satluj that was removed just days after its digital release on an OTT platform.
The petition said the removal of the film, based on activist Jaswant Singh Khalra’s efforts to uncover alleged disappearances during Punjab’s insurgency era, without any public statutory or judicial order, “is violative of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression and citizens’ right to information”.
Petitioner Sharwan Singh has named the Central government, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Punjab government, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, and ZEE5 as respondents in the petition.
“The abrupt removal of the film, without disclosure of any statutory order, judicial direction or lawful authority, has not only curtailed the fundamental right of the public to receive information and artistic expression under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India but has also deprived thousands of bona-fide subscribers of access to content for which they had already paid consideration,” the petition said.
The PIL said the sudden withdrawal of the film based upon documented historical events and the life of a human rights defender whose case has already been adjudicated upon by constitutional courts has given rise to serious concerns regarding transparency, freedom of artistic expression, and the possible existence of undisclosed executive interference.
“The film Satluj is a biopic based upon true facts and the life story of late Jaswant Singh Khalra and does not affect the sovereignty and integrity of our country in any manner nor is it aimed to disrupt public order,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has said it would screen Satluj across Punjab.
“This is aimed at ensuring that today’s youth and our coming generations know about the unspeakable tragedy and repression unleashed by the then Congress governments against Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra and thousands of other innocent Sikh youth who were eliminated through fake encounters,” Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a statement Wednesday.
However, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has said allegations by certain politicians regarding the BJP or the Central government’s role in the removal of Satluj from the OTT platform “are baseless, misleading and devoid of facts”. He said the government certification and regulatory provisions relating to films primarily apply to theatrical releases, while satellite television and cable broadcasts are governed under separate statutory and regulatory frameworks. He said that attributing the removal of Satluj from ZEE5 to the BJP or the Central government has no factual or legal basis.
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