About a week after the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advised OTT platform ZEE5 not to release a documentary or web series based on alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the company on Friday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Among other things, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd petitioner submitted that the advisory had been issued without invoking any specific provision.Taking up the matter, Justice Jagmohan Bansal fixed May 11 for further hearing, while granting time to the Centre and other respondents to file their reply.Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Amit Jhanji, with advocates Samir Rathaur, Nitin Sharma and Angad Makkar, submitted that the ministry had issued an advisory not to release the documentary. It was argued that the advisory had been issued “without invoking any specific provision” and that “in the absence of specific provision, the authorities have no right to block or compel the petitioner not to release contents”.On behalf of the Union of India, Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain and senior panel counsel Dheeraj Jain, along with Punjab Advocate General MS Bedi, sought time to file response.Accepting the request, the court adjourned the matter to May 11.The proposed web series “Lawrence of Punjab”, is said to be based on the life of alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, portraying his alleged rise from a student leader to the head of a criminal syndicate.According to the advisory, the ministry noted a “reasonable apprehension” that the release of the proposed series — understood to be Lawrence of Punjab — could be prejudicial to public order and had the potential to incite the commission of cognisable offences.The ministry’s communication also referred to an earlier advisory issued on October 27, 2025, as well as its letter dated April 23, 2026, and advised ZEE5 to refrain from releasing the content and take appropriate action in the matter. The order was issued with the approval of the competent authority.The issue initially came under judicial scanner through a PIL filed by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, seeking directions to the Union of India and other respondents to stop or ban its release and public exhibition on social media platforms.Describing himself as a public-spirited citizen, the petitioner had contended that such directions were necessary in the larger interest of society, particularly in view of the prevailing social and criminal environment in Punjab. The plea added that the web series, as evident from its promotional material and description, was based on the life and activities of a “notorious gangster” and purported to portray his rise from a student leader to the head of a criminal syndicate.The petition had further contended that such depiction, centred around the growth, power and influence of a real-life criminal figure, carried a serious risk of creating an aspirational image of criminal conduct, particularly among impressionable youth.