Prateek Tanmay
2 min readChandigarhJul 17, 2026 09:50 PM IST
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday dismissed as withdrawn a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking restoration of singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj on the ZEE5 OTT platform.
A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor allowed the petition to be withdrawn. A detailed order is awaited.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Dheeraj Jain, assisted by Advocate Shreyansi Verma, appearing for the Union Government and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), questioned the maintainability of the PIL, arguing that the petitioner lacked the locus standi to file it.
The PIL had been filed by 36-year-old Sharwan Singh through advocates Hakam Singh, Ajayvir Singh Randhawa, Shruti and Anmol Jeevan Singh Gill against the Union of India, the CBFC, the State of Punjab, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and ZEE5.
The petitioner had sought directions to restore Satluj, originally titled Punjab 95, for public viewing across India. The plea contended that the film had been removed from the streaming platform shortly after its release without any statutory, judicial or governmental order being disclosed. It also sought protection of the public’s right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution to access a duly certified cinematographic work.
According to the petition, the biographical film on late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, starring Diljit Dosanjh, was released on ZEE5 on July 3 after remaining delayed for several years over certification issues with the CBFC. It was, however, taken down from the platform on July 5.
The petitioner argued that the film’s removal, without disclosure of any legal authority, curtailed the public’s right to receive information and artistic expression, while also depriving subscribers of access to content they had paid to watch.
