The Madras High Court, hearing the Jana Nayagan censor dispute, said filmmakers cannot seek relief citing a Rs 500 crore investment. The court observed the single judge directing a UA certificate failed to properly examine the Vijay-starrer’s case thoroughly.
CHENNAI: The hearing for the Jana Nayagan censor certificate case is currently taking place at the Madras High Court. During the proceedings, the court stated that the filmmakers of the Vijay-starrer could not seek relief by claiming a Rs. 500 crore investment in the project.
The Madras High Court emphasized that the single judge, who initially instructed the Censor Board to issue a UA certificate for Jana Nayagan, “failed to examine” the case thoroughly.
The court remarked,
“The single judge ought to have given CBFC at least minimum time to file a counter… The producer can’t seek relief citing release date and Rs. 500 crore investment,”
Highlighting that the examining committee serves as “only an advisory body”, it noted,
“The single judge has failed to examine in depth. A detailed hearing would have revealed who actually watched the film—the examining committee or the board,”
Assistant Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, representing the board, argued that the Censor Board Chairperson has the authority to request a review of a film by a revising committee.
He pointed out that various films, not just Jana Nayagan, have been referred to the revising committee. Additionally, the ASG mentioned that the objections raised by the Censor Board were communicated to KVN Productions, the studio behind Jana Nayagan, within a week.
The ASG contended that the producers did not challenge the review conducted by the revising committee, despite being aware of it. He added that the single judge had requested a submission of records.
The ASG stated,
“The single judge ought to have allowed two days to file a counter, if not four weeks. The communication assuring certification contingent upon making the recommended cuts was not the final order,”
Earlier Developments of the Case
Proclaimed as Vijay’s last film before he fully transitions into a political career, Jana Nayagan was initially set for release on January 9. As the release date approached, an initial review by the CBFC’s examining committee recommended a U/A 16 certificate, contingent upon certain cuts that the filmmakers duly implemented.
Earlier, a single judge bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to swiftly issue final censor clearance for the release of the Vijay-starrer film Jana Nayagan, stating that the decision to re-evaluate its censor certification was flawed. It was passed by Justice PT Asha.
The Division Bench, consisting of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan, granted an interim stay shortly after the earlier ruling by Justice PT Asha. The Bench noted that the Central Government had not been given adequate time to respond to the filmmakers’ petition before the single-judge order was issued. Consequently, the directive for granting censor clearance has been temporarily suspended.
The petition before the Madras High Court urged the CBFC to issue a censor certificate under the ‘UA 16+‘ category for the film “Jana Nayagan,” starring top actor and TVK chief Vijay.
KVN Productions later submitted a plea to the Supreme Court, which heard the matter on January 15. However, the apex court dismissed the filmmakers’ petition and advised them to return to the Madras High Court for expeditious hearing, stating it was “not inclined to hear the plea.”
The ongoing developments surrounding Jana Nayagan come as Vijay is also under investigation by the CBI in relation to the Karur stampede case. The actor, who plans to contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections with his political party TVK, was questioned again on Monday regarding the September 27, 2025 rally.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan features Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, and Priyamani.
Case Title: KVN Productions LLP v. Central Board of Film Certification SLP(C) No. 1800/2026
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