A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the restoration of Satluj.
The petition states that the film is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
The plea contends that the film was withdrawn without any publicly available statutory.
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Summary
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the restoration of Satluj, starring actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh, after the film was removed from an OTT platform within days of its digital release.
According to the petition, Satluj is based on the life and work of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated allegations of illegal cremations and enforced disappearances during Punjab's insurgency period in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Khalra's investigation reportedly uncovered records indicating that thousands of unidentified bodies had been cremated by security agencies without following due legal process. He was abducted in 1995 and later killed. His abduction and murder were subsequently investigated, leading to the conviction of several police personnel.
The PIL states that the film was removed from the streaming platform without any publicly disclosed statutory, judicial or regulatory direction. It argues that no official order explaining the withdrawal has been placed in the public domain despite the film having been released for streaming.
The petition further notes that the events depicted in the film are based on documented historical records and relate to the work of a human rights defender whose case has already been adjudicated by constitutional courts. It states that, in the absence of a publicly available legal order, the withdrawal of the film raises questions regarding the process followed before it was taken down.
The petitioner has sought directions from the High Court to restore the film on the OTT platform and to require the concerned authorities and parties to disclose the basis on which the film was withdrawn. The plea argues that the removal affects the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) as well as the public's right to access information on matters of historical significance.
The matter is expected to come up before the Punjab and Haryana High Court for consideration.
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