The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday dismissed a Mohali resident’s petition seeking directions to the government to allow screening of the film “Satluj” on a OTT platform.
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The PIL was taken up by the bench of acting chief justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and justice Rohit Kapoor after a brief hearing in which it questioned locus of the petitioner, ordered it dismissed as withdrawn. A detailed order is awaited.
The petition by one Shravan Singh, who claimed to be a subscriber of the platform and admirer of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, on whose life the film is based on, claimed there is no disclosed statutory, judicial or other lawful order prohibiting the movie’s exhibition. Hence, the government be directed to allow its screening on the platform as mandated under the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, including the right of the public to receive information and view a duly certified cinematographic work.
“Satluj”, originally titled “Ghallughara” and later “Panjab ’95”, has been at the centre of a years-long censorship battle. Directed by Honey Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, the film depicts the crusade of Khalra, a bank employee-turned-human rights activist who uncovered evidence regarding the alleged illegal cremation of unidentified bodies by Punjab Police during the counter-insurgency operations of the 1980s and 1990s. Khalra himself disappeared in 1995, and several police officials were later convicted of his abduction and murder.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had previously flagged the film’s sensitive political subject matter, reportedly demanding up to 127 cuts before the filmmakers sought legal recourse, eventually opting for an unannounced, uncut release on ZEE5 under the title “Satluj” to circumvent further pre-emptive blocks. It was taken down by the platform on July 5, two days after the release after the government objected to it.
