A petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the restoration of the film "Satluj" on the ZEE5 OTT platform after it was made unavailable for viewing in India. The plea was submitted by petitioner Sharwan Singh, who has requested directions from the court to restore the film for public viewing across the country.
Petitioner argues removal lacks legal basis
The petitioner contends that no statutory order, judicial direction, or other lawful authority prohibiting the exhibition of the film has been disclosed. According to the petition, "Satluj," originally titled "Punjab '95," is based on the life and work of late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film was released on ZEE5 on July 3 and was subsequently made unavailable in India on July 5.
Sharwan Singh argued that the removal curtailed the public's right to receive information and artistic expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and also deprived paid subscribers of access to content that had been lawfully made available on the platform.
Fundamental rights at stake
The petition further stated that the main questions arising for the court's consideration included whether the abrupt withdrawal of a duly released and lawfully exhibited feature film from an OTT platform — in the absence of any disclosed statutory order, judicial direction, or authority of law — violated the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.
Another issue raised was whether the right guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) included the right of the public to receive information and to access and view a lawfully released cinematographic work, and whether such right could be curtailed except by a procedure established by law. The petition also questioned whether any executive authority, directly or indirectly, could compel, induce, or otherwise secure the withdrawal of a lawfully released cinematographic work without issuing a reasoned order traceable to any statutory provision.
Background of the film
"Satluj" portrays the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist who investigated and exposed the alleged extrajudicial killings in Punjab during the 1990s. The film had been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and was legally released on the streaming platform. Its removal has sparked concerns over censorship and the lack of transparency regarding content takedowns.
The petitioner emphasized that the abrupt removal of the film has not only curtailed the fundamental right of the public to receive information and artistic expression under Article 19(1)(a) but has also deprived thousands of bona fide subscribers of access to content for which they had already paid consideration.
