29 December 2025: Nearly three years after it was submitted for certification, Honey Trehan’s film Punjab ’95 is still not cleared for release in India. Retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh has now asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to allow the film to release without cuts.

Justice Ranjit Singh, a human rights activist who was recently named chairman of the reconstituted Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), said the film is based on material that is already part of the public record. He said there is no reason to remove scenes or change details from the film.

The film stars Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, a rights activist known for raising the issue of illegal cremations and missing persons during Punjab’s militancy era. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and later killed, a case that led to court proceedings and convictions.

The makers say the film was completed in 2022 and sent to the CBFC in December 2022. Since then, there has been no public confirmation of a final certificate or a release date for India.

In interviews, Trehan has said the CBFC asked for 127 changes. He has argued that accepting that many changes would change the film in a way he cannot accept, and he has said he would remove his name as director if major changes were forced.

Mid-day reported on December 29, 2025, that the film has entered its third year without clearance, and added that the publication tried to reach CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi, but he was not available for comment.

The film’s team has announced more than one overseas release plan, but none has gone ahead.

In January 2025, Diljit Dosanjh posted that the film would not release on February 7, citing “circumstances beyond our control,” and reports said the India release was not happening then either.

Later in 2025, the makers also spoke about a separate overseas plan for May 16, 2025, but that release was also postponed.

As of December 29, 2025, there is still no confirmed new release date for India in public reporting, and there is no official CBFC decision shared publicly by the board.

The film has drawn support from different quarters in 2025.

In October 2025, BJP national spokesperson R.P. Singh urged CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi to allow the film to release, arguing that it is based on court records and should not be treated differently.

Justice Ranjit Singh’s latest remarks add to that pressure, with his main point being that the film deals with events that have already been tested in investigations and courts, and that audiences should be allowed to see it without changes.

The film was shot in 2021 and 2022 and submitted to the CBFC in December 2022. Reports and interviews from 2024 and 2025 say the CBFC asked for 127 changes, while the director and team have said they do not want to accept those changes.

The makers announced overseas release plans in early 2025, but those plans were later withdrawn. Since then, the film has remained unreleased in India, with no official date on record.

Punjab ’95 remains unreleased in India nearly three years after it was submitted for certification. Justice Ranjit Singh has now called for an uncut release, while the director continues to oppose the large number of changes reported to have been asked by the CBFC.