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Centre asks ZEE5 to halt ‘Lawrence of Punjab’ release over concerns of glorifying Lawrence Bishnoi
The Centre’s advisory stated that digital platforms must exercise “due caution and discretion” while producing biopics or documentaries on criminals
The central government has formally 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 impact public order, officials aware of the matter said.
During a hearing in the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday, additional solicitor general Satya Pal Jain presented a letter from the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) addressed to ZEE5.
The Centre’s advisory stated that digital platforms must exercise “due caution and discretion” while producing biopics or documentaries on criminals, especially those that may incite violence. It cited inputs from Punjab Police warning that the series uses dramatised portrayals and real-life footage that could amplify the image of organised crime and “vitiate the law and order situation.”
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Following the advisory, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring withdrew his public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a stay on the series.
The show, slated for an April 27 premiere, had come under legal scrutiny over its potential to disturb public order and influence impressionable viewers.
Reacting to the development, Warring said he could not remain silent while the state’s name was “dragged into gangster glorification.” He said he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a ban. “Punjab is not gangster culture; Punjab is about courage, hard work, and self-respect,” Warring said, calling the legal challenge a fight for the “youth, identity, and soul” of the state.
Police fears documentary could lead to heightened tensions
Meanwhile, Punjab Police informed the Centre that there is a “reasonable apprehension” that the documentary’s release could lead to heightened tensions and increase the risk of youth being influenced and drawn towards criminal or gangster-related activities. The advisory referred to existing judicial mandates directing authorities to curb content that promotes “gangster culture.”
Separately, ZEE5 informed the Delhi high court on Friday that it had received the Centre’s advisory asking it not to proceed with the release. “MIB has now issued an advisory asking us not to go ahead with the release… at 12 pm today,” the platform’s counsel told a bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav.
The submission was made during the hearing of a petition filed by Bishnoi himself seeking a stay on the series. Taking note of the advisory, the court deferred the matter to April 27.
According to the makers, the series traces the evolution of a criminal identity through the lens of culture, systems, and media visibility, presenting Bishnoi as a case study.
Bishnoi, 33, is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail and is an accused in the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala.
