New controversy over Diljit Dosanjh’s film Satluj, case reached High Court against illegal screenings.

New Delhi . Diljit Dosanjh’s much talked about film Satluj has once again come into the center of controversies. First there was discussion about removing the film from the OTT platform and now the matter of its alleged illegal public screenings has reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The new petition filed regarding the film has given a new legal twist to the entire incident and now all eyes are on the next action of the court.

The film was earlier titled Punjab 95 and its release was postponed for a long time due to various reasons. Ultimately the film was released on OTT platform Zee5 on July 3 but it was removed from the platform after just two days. Even after this, the discussion about the film did not stop but at many places people started public screening of it at their own level. In many villages and cities of Punjab, films started being shown collectively by installing big LED screens. At some places, people were seen sitting together in Gurudwaras and open grounds and watching the film. Pictures of such screenings also emerged from Rajasthan which were widely discussed on social media.

Meanwhile, Advocate Vineet Jindal has raised questions on these public screenings by filing a petition in the Punjab Haryana High Court. He has alleged that screening the film without valid permission is a violation of the law and may affect public order. He says that due to these screenings being organized by some religious organizations and political groups, there is a possibility of adverse impact on social harmony and law and order.

The petition has demanded from the court that all such alleged illegal screenings should be immediately banned and action should be taken as per law against the people and institutions organizing the event. The petitioner argues that showing the film without following the prescribed legal procedure for public exhibition is not appropriate and may also lead to a serious situation in the future.

On the other hand, supporters of the film say that after the film was removed from OTT, the audience looked for alternative ways to watch it. At many places, people at the local level made arrangements to download the film and watch it collectively. Pictures from these events quickly went viral on social media and actor Diljit Dosanjh also shared some of these pictures.

After the film was removed, a video of Diljit Dosanjh had also surfaced in which he had said that he had already anticipated that the film would be removed from the OTT platform. According to him, he expected the film to be removed after a few days but it was removed earlier than expected. He had also appealed to the audience to watch the film, which brought the matter into more discussion.

Now the entire dispute has reached the legal realm. On one hand, public screenings of films are being linked to freedom of expression and audience choice, while on the other hand, legal questions are being raised regarding public screening without permission. The decision on this petition filed in the High Court can prove to be an important precedent not only for Satluj but also for public screenings of films removed from digital platforms in future.