Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Satluj’ was pulled from OTT within two days of its release and it created quite a stir on the internet. As per the latest update on the matter, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking to restore the film to ZEE5. The petition comes just days after the film was pulled from the streaming platform less than 48 hours after its release. It argued that the removal violated the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression, questioned the lack of any publicly disclosed legal justification, and called for greater transparency from the authorities.PIL is the latest twist in the ‘Satluj’ line, inspired by the life of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Since its removal, the film has drawn criticism from members of the film industry, Sikh organizations and civil liberties groups.Advocate Hakam Singh said the petition was filed by Shravan Singh, a resident of Punjab and subscriber of ZEE5, in public interest.“The film Sutlej, which was released on the ZEE5 platform on the 3rd, was removed on the 5th. The petitioner filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, saying that it amounts to a violation of Article 19, which guarantees freedom of speech and expression. The petitioner requested that the film be reinstated on the platform,” he was allowed to return to streamS.He added that the petition questioned why the film was removed without any explanation being made public.“The PIL was filed by Shravan Singh, a subscriber of ZEE5 and a citizen of Punjab, raising issues related to public interest. He questioned the grounds on which the film was taken without any prior notice or transparent findings.”According to Hakam Singh, though the Center has set up a three-member committee to look into the issue, the reasons for stopping the streaming of the film have not been disclosed.“A three-member committee has also been constituted by the Center in this regard, but the reasons for stopping the film have not been made public. We hope the petition will come up for hearing tomorrow or the next working day.” Originally titled ‘Punjab 95’, ‘Satluj’ finally aired on ZEE5 on July 3 after remaining unreleased for almost four years. However, it was removed from the Indian platform on July 5.According to PTI, the Center has directed ZEE5 to remove the film, citing “security concerns” and obligations under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), 2021.The dispute began in 2022, when the filmmakers submitted the project to Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) under its original title, ‘Punjab 95’. The certification process reportedly stalled after manufacturers refused to implement the 127 cuts proposed by the board.A government official told PTI that the producers chose to release the film directly on an OTT platform under a different title without resolving the pending certification issues.“They continued to sit on the proposed cuts and finally released the film quietly on OTT with a new title. OTT is not under the jurisdiction of the CBFC. When the matter came to the notice of the government, ZEE was asked to take the film. fixed rules,” said the official.