Bollywood
Satluj Ban Stays: Punjab & Haryana High Court Refuses To Entertain PIL Seeking Restoration Of Diljit Dosanjh Starrer
BY SACNILK
Mumbai, July 17 - The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the restoration of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, which was recently taken down from its OTT platform shortly after its release. The Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, did not examine the merits of the film's removal and instead questioned the maintainability of the petition. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) During the hearing, the Court observed that the petitioner, a Punjab resident, was neither the producer nor the director of the film and therefore lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to seek such relief. Faced with the Court's observations, the petitioner's counsel stated that the plea would be withdrawn and refiled through the film's director. As a result, the High Court declined to entertain the PIL without ruling on whether the takedown of the film was justified. Appearing for the Union Government and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Senior Advocate Dheeraj Jain argued that the petitioner had no locus to file the PIL and had failed to provide details of the alleged order directing the film's removal. He further submitted that the petition had been filed just days after the movie was taken down without first approaching the concerned authorities or submitting any representation. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The petition had contended that the abrupt removal of Satluj violated the public's fundamental right to receive information and artistic expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It also argued that paying subscribers had been deprived of access to content they had already purchased and claimed that the biographical film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, did not threaten the country's sovereignty or public order. Originally developed under the title Punjab '95, Satluj has remained at the centre of controversy for years over certification issues and its depiction of sensitive historical events. While the latest PIL has been withdrawn, the legal battle surrounding the film appears far from over, with the possibility of a fresh petition being filed through the film's director in the coming days.