Zee5’s Lawrence Bishnoi docuseries gets HC nod, but with one big condition

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday cleared the path for the release of a controversial Zee5 docuseries based on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, weeks after its streaming was halted following objections from the Centre and concerns raised by Punjab Police over possible law-and-order issues, Hindustan Times reported.

The documentary series, originally titled Lawrence of Punjab, had been scheduled for release on streaming platform ZEE5 in April. However, its release was stalled after the Union government issued an advisory against streaming it.

High Court Orders Title Change

Hearing a petition filed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside the Centre’s advisory and directed the makers to remove references to both “Lawrence” and “Punjab” from the title of the docuseries.

The court’s directions came after the petitioner’s counsel, Amit Jhanji, informed the bench that neither “Lawrence Bishnoi” nor “Punjab” would be used in the revised title of the series.

The High Court also viewed the docuseries during proceedings and observed in its ruling that the content did not appear to glorify any individual.

The observation is significant as one of the major objections raised against the show was that it could romanticise organised crime and influence young viewers.

The controversy surrounding Lawrence of Punjab began shortly before its scheduled release on April 27.

Punjab Advocate General M S Bedi had opposed the release of the series, arguing that it could negatively impact the youth by normalising organised crime and criminal culture.

The objection followed a petition filed by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who sought a ban on the show.

During the legal proceedings, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an advisory asking the streaming platform not to release the series. The Centre cited inputs from Punjab Police, which had expressed concerns that the show could pose a threat to public order.

According to the ministry, the content had the potential to trigger strong public reactions and could aggravate tensions in the state.

The advisory further stated that Punjab Police had informed the government that the docuseries included dramatised portrayals, real-life footage and narrative elements that could lead to the “glorification and amplification of organised crime and criminal elements”.

Despite the objections raised by the government and police authorities, the High Court observed after viewing the series that the documentary did not appear to glorify the gangster.

The court’s decision effectively removes the biggest legal hurdle standing in the way of the show’s release, although the makers will now have to release it under a different title.

The ruling also comes amid a broader debate over creative freedom, censorship and the depiction of criminals in films and web series.

What The Docuseries Is About

According to the makers, the series examines the rise of a criminal identity through social, political and cultural systems rather than celebrating the individual at its centre.

The producers said the show “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”.

Lawrence Bishnoi first gained nationwide attention over alleged plots targeting Bollywood actor Salman Khan in connection with the blackbuck poaching case dating back to the 1990s.

The original title of the show, Lawrence of Punjab, was also seen as a reference to the Oscar-winning film Lawrence of Arabia.

While the court has now allowed the release to move forward with modifications, the case has once again highlighted the growing scrutiny around true-crime content and the line between documentation and glorification in streaming entertainment.