A proposed web series based on the life of alleged gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has triggered a legal challenge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with a senior opposition leader seeking to block its release.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has filed a public interest litigation asking the court to restrain the release of the series, titled Lawrence of Punjab, and prevent its distribution on any digital or social media platform.

The petition argues that the portrayal of the accused gangster’s life could have a negative impact on young audiences and may risk glamorizing criminal activity.

Warring, represented by lawyer Nikhil Ghai, described himself in the filing as a concerned citizen and urged the court to direct the Indian government and relevant authorities to block the release of the series.

The petition claims that promotional material suggests the series depicts the rise of Lawrence Bishnoi from a student leader to the head of a criminal syndicate.

It further argues that, given the current social and law-and-order situation in Punjab, releasing such content would not be in the public interest.

The petition warns that dramatizing the life of an alleged criminal could influence impressionable viewers and normalize or romanticize criminal behaviour.