In a significant verdict, an Indian court has allowed Bollywood film Udta Punjab to be released on June 17, with just one cut. The ruling ended the censorship controversy surrounding the film, which deals with the rampant drug abuse among the youth of Punjab.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the producers of Udta Punjab, Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films, after the India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked them to make over 80 cuts in the film and remove all references to the state of Punjab, elections and politics.

The Bombay High Court reiterated that the CBFC was meant to certify rather than "censor" films. It also said that it didn't find "anything in the film that shows Punjab in a bad light or affects the sovereignty or integrity of India as claimed by CBFC." The lawyers representing the CBFC had earlier argued that the film defamed Punjab and that its abusive language would be harmful.