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.
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. This led Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring to withdraw his public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a stay on the series.
The show, slated for an April 27 premiere, faced legal scrutiny for 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 that he had written directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand the ban. “Punjab is not gangster culture; Punjab is about courage, hard work, and self-respect,” Warring said, framing the legal challenge as a fight for the “youth, identity, and soul” of the state.
The Centre’s advisory said that digital platforms must exercise “due caution and discretion” when producing biopics or documentaries on criminals, particularly those likely to incite violence.
The advisory acknowledged a letter from Punjab Police which warned that the series uses dramatised portrayals and real-life footage to amplify the image of organised crime. Law-enforcement officials argued that such content romanticises gangsterism, undermines ongoing police efforts, and risks “vitiating the law and order situation” in a state already sensitive to these issues.
The advisory cited existing judicial mandates requiring authorities to scrub social media of content that celebrates “gangster culture.”
Punjab Police informed the Centre that there is a “reasonable apprehension” that the documentary would lead to heightened tensions and the commission of cognizable offences.
By advising ZEE5 against the broadcast, the ministry aligned with previous high court directions aimed at preventing the normalisation of criminal activity through mass media.
