'Jana Nayagan' censor row: No Pongal release for Thalapathy Vijay starrer; court pushes next hearing to January 21

The Madras High Court on Friday heard detailed arguments in the CBFC’s appeal against the single judge’s order that had gone in favor of Vijay’s 'Jana Nayagan,' ultimately deciding to temporarily stay that order. The Chief Justice-led Bench questioned the urgency with which the writ appeal was filed and examined whether the Central Board of Film Certification was denied a fair opportunity to place its case before the court. At the heart of the appeal was the CBFC’s contention that procedural safeguards under the Cinematograph Act had been bypassed.

Single Judge’s order and certification controversy

The controversy traces back to the single judge’s order passed by Justice PT Asha, who had raised serious concerns about the functioning of the Examining Committee. Observing that members retracting their own certification recommendations could set a “dangerous trend,” the judge noted that the sanctity of the certification process would be compromised if such reversals were permitted. In the case of 'Jana Nayagan,' the movie was originally recommended by the Examining Committee for a ‘UA’ certification conditional on certain cuts. This film was then referred to a Revising Committee after a complaint by one of the committee members, stating that the film was objectionable, as it hurt religious sentiments and depicted the armed forces in an inappropriate light, which triggered the case.

CBFC’s Argument: No opportunity to defend its stand

Appearing for the CBFC, the Additional Solicitor General argued before the Chief Justice’s Bench that the Board was not granted adequate time to file a counter affidavit. As per Live Law, he submitted that the court had quashed a letter dated January 6 issued by the CBFC chairperson, even though that communication had not been specifically challenged in the writ petition. Senior Advocate and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta further contended that “moulding the relief” could not extend to setting aside an order that was never under challenge, warning that such an approach would render statutory provisions meaningless. The CBFC maintained that the decision to send the film to the Revising Committee had been communicated to the producers even before the writ petition was taken up.

Interim stay granted; next hearing on January 21

Representing the producers, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Satish Parasaran countered that the Examining Committee itself had cleared the film for a ‘UA’ certificate with modifications and questioned the propriety of a committee member filing a complaint. However, the Bench expressed reservations about the urgency projected by the producers, pointing out that no certificate had been granted and that fixing a release date without certification created undue pressure on the system. Noting that the Union of India was not given sufficient time to respond, the court ordered a temporary stay on the single judge’s direction to grant a ‘UA’ certificate. The appeal has now been posted for further hearing on January 21, after the Pongal holidays.

About 'Jana Nayagan'

Directed by H. Vinoth, 'Jana Nayagan' features Thalapathy Vijay as a cop, and the film is announced as the actor's last film. Bobby Deol, Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Menon, Priyamani, Prakash Raj, Sunil, and Nassar play key roles, and the film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is based on reported news of court proceedings and legal claims. It does not constitute legal advice or a definitive statement on the outcome of the case. Readers should not rely solely on this information for making legal or commercial decisions.