The Central government has officially advised OTT platform ZEE5 to withhold the release of its upcoming docuseries ‘Lawrence of Punjab’, following concerns that the content glorifies gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and could affect public order, officials familiar with the matter said.
During a hearing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain submitted a letter from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) addressed to ZEE5.
The center’s warning stated that digital platforms must exercise “due caution and discretion” while producing biographical films or documentaries about criminals, especially those that may incite violence. It cited inputs from the Punjab Police warning that the series uses dramatic images and real-life footage that could exaggerate the image of organized crime and “corrupt the law and order situation”.
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After the consultation, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Waring withdrew the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to stay in the series.
The show, which was scheduled to premiere on April 27, has come under legal scrutiny for its potential to disrupt public order and influence impressionable viewers.
In response to the development, Waring said he could not remain silent while the state’s name was being “dragged into the glorification of gangs.” He said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to impose the ban. “Punjab is not a gang culture; Punjab is about courage, hard work and self-respect,” Waring said, describing the legal challenge as a battle for the “youth, identity and soul” of the state.
Police fear the documentary will increase tensions
Meanwhile, Punjab Police told the Center that there was a “reasonable apprehension” that the release of the documentary would escalate tensions and increase the risk of youth being influenced and drawn towards criminal or gang-related activities. The advisory pointed to existing jurisdictions directing authorities to limit content that promotes “gang culture.”
Separately, ZEE5 informed the Delhi High Court on Friday that it had received advice from the Center asking it not to go ahead with the release. “The MIB has now issued an advisory asking us not to go ahead with the issuance… at 12 noon today,” the bench’s counsel told a bench of Justice Puruchindra Kumar Kaurav.
The application was made during the hearing of the petition filed by Bishnoi himself seeking a halt to the show. After listening to the consultation, the court decided to postpone hearing the case until April 27.
According to the makers, the series traces the development of criminal identity through the lens of culture, systems and media exposure, and presents Bishnoi as a case study.
Bishnoi, 33, is currently imprisoned in a prison in Gujarat and is accused of murdering singer Sidhu Musiwala.
