The Lawrence of Punjab documentary case has once again reached the High Court. Now, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Zee Entertainment has challenged the Central Government’s ban on the release of the documentary on April 24.
During the hearing of the case, the Central and Punjab governments sought time from the court to file their responses on the petition, on which the hearing was adjourned till May 11.
What did Zee Entertainment say in its petition?
Zee Entertainment Limited has said in the petition that the Union Government’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has banned the screening of their film without any legal provision, which is completely false.
The petition said that banning it solely on the allegation that the film encourages a criminal is unreasonable, as this allegation is not true. It was also said that everything mentioned in this film was done on the basis of newspaper reports and information available in the public domain.
The petition further stated that the ban on the film has violated his freedom of expression and therefore he has sought quashing of the orders issued by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banning the film and a stay on the order till the petition is pending in the High Court.
Let us tell you that this series made on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had created a controversy, against which protests were being held across Punjab. The Punjab Police had also written a letter to the Central Government, in which it expressed concern that the release of the film could harm the environment of Punjab. After widespread opposition to the film, the Central Government finally banned its release.