Mansa, June 11 — A district court in Punjab’s Mansa on Tuesday declined to pass any interim order restraining the screening of a documentary on late Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala. The film is set to premiere in Mumbai on June 11, coinciding with the slain rapper’s birth anniversary.
The civil suit was filed by Moose Wala’s father, Balkaur Singh, who named Ishleen Kaur, Ankur Jain, and a foreign broadcaster as respondents. The petition sought a stay on the documentary’s screening, alleging it could infringe on the family’s privacy and potentially affect the ongoing legal proceedings in Moose Wala’s murder case.
However, Civil Judge (Senior Division) Rajinder Singh Nagpal chose not to issue any directions at this stage. “The court has not restrained the screening, and the matter has been listed for further hearing on June 12,” said Balkaur’s lawyer, Satinder Pal Singh.
The lawyer argued that the screening could be prejudicial, especially as the documentary was scheduled for public release on a sensitive date. “We had asked the court to stop the screening because it could interfere with the trial and reveal private, unverified details without the family’s permission,” he added.
Moose Wala, a singer-turned-politician, was shot dead on May 29, 2022, while traveling without his police security detail near his village of Jawaharke in Mansa district. Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, later claimed responsibility for the murder. Brar has since been designated as an ‘individual terrorist’ by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In a parallel effort to halt the screening, Balkaur Singh filed complaints with the Maharashtra Director General of Police and Mumbai’s Juhu police station on June 6. He alleged that the foreign broadcaster had planned to host the screening in Juhu at 3 p.m. on June 11, and described the act as an attempt to tarnish his son’s legacy.
According to Balkaur, the documentary’s producers used Moose Wala’s name, image, and life story without seeking consent from the family. The complaint further claimed that individuals invited to the screening may reveal undisclosed and potentially misleading information about the singer.
“We have not received any official response from Maharashtra police on the status of those complaints,” the lawyer said.
The case has now been posted for further hearing on Thursday, with the court yet to decide on the legality of the documentary’s screening. In the meantime, the event may proceed as scheduled, given the absence of a judicial stay.
