‘Lawrence of Punjab’ docuseries stalled: What Zee5 told Delhi HC today
The streaming platform said it will challenge the government’s advisories against the release of the series on the gangster; HC disposes of Lawrence Bishnoi’s plea .
On Monday, April 27, a docuseries on Lawrence Bishnoi was all set to premiere on OTT platform Zee 5 — until it was halted by an advisory issued by the Centre and a plea by the gangster himself challenging its release in the Delhi High Court last week.
The streaming platform has now told the HC that it is contemplating to challenge advisories issued by the Centre’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), advising against the release of a docuseries, before the court concerned.
Justice Purushaindra Kaurav disposed of the petition on Monday following the MIB’s three advisories, noting that the cause of the petition now stands rendered infructuous, unless the advisories are interfered with.
“… Zee5 is contemplating challenging those advisories before a court of competent jurisdiction… In view of the advisories, this court finds that Zee5 may not be possibly releasing the contents of ‘Lawrence of Punjab’,” the court recorded in its order, while disposing of the plea by Bishnoi.
Bishnoi, currently lodged in an Ahmedabad jail in Gujarat, is facing multiple criminal cases, including for the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala.
According to the makers, the show purportedly “traces the journey of a criminal identity through the lens of culture, systems, and visibility and treats Bishnoi as a case study in the ecosystem of student politics, music, ideology and media amplification”.
Behind the controversy
First, the Punjab Police wrote to the Centre and urged it to direct ZEE5 to refrain from airing the docuseries as it poses a significant risk to public order.
Story continues below this ad
In a communication to the joint secretary, MIB, the cyber crime division of the Punjab Police had cited that availability of such content increases the risk of youth being influenced and drawn towards criminal or gangster-related activities.
The Punjab Police had demanded a global block on the series’ trailer, citing risks to public order, youth radicalisation, and ongoing law-enforcement efforts against organised crime.
Then, last week, following a petition at the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Congress Lok Sabha MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, advisories were issued — one on April 23 and two others on April 24 — by the MIB.
On Friday, Zee5 told the Delhi HC that the central government has asked it not to go ahead with the release.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More
