Today, On 27th January, A Division Bench of the Madras High Court allowed the CBFC’s appeal and set aside the single judge’s order directing censor clearance for Vijay’s film Jana Nayagan. The court sent the CBFC dispute back for fresh reconsideration today.
A Division Bench of the Madras High Court ruled on in favor of an appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), set-aside a single-judge’s directive to grant censor clearance for the film Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan, noted that the single-judge had made an error by addressing the merits of a complaint regarding the film’s content.
Consequently, the Division Bench has returned the matter to the single-judge for further consideration.
The Division Bench’s order stated,
“Single-judge ought not to have gone into merits. Decision of the writ court has to go, the appeal is allowed and the impugned order is set aside. The writ petitioner is given opportunity to amend the writ petition,”
This ruling indicates that the film’s release will be postponed further. Earlier, On January 9, the Division Bench had put a hold on the single-judge’s order, highlighting that the Central government had not been given adequate time to respond to the plea.
Additionally, On January 15, the Supreme Court declined to hear a plea from the film’s producer contesting the Division Bench’s order and the delays in obtaining the final censor certificate.
Jana Nayagan, which is being marketed as Vijay’s last film before his full transition into politics, was slated for release on January 9, aligning with the Pongal festival.
The production company, KVN Productions, filed a complaint with the High Court, citing delays by the CBFC in granting the final censor certificate, despite having made the recommended cuts.
The controversy emerged after the film was brought before a revising committee due to a complaint alleging inappropriate representations of the armed forces and potential offense to religious sentiments.
Notably, it was revealed that the complaint originated from a member of the examining committee.
The filmmakers informed the Court that they had applied for censor certification on December 18, 2025. Following a personal hearing, the Examining Committee recommended approval for the film under the ‘UA 16+’ category on December 22, 2025, citing elements of violence, fight sequences, gory visuals, and brief references to religious sentiments as reasons for this age restriction.
The Committee also required certain cuts and modifications, which the producers stated they fully addressed, submitting a revised version of the film on December 24, 2025.
The modifications were confirmed on December 29, 2025, after which the producers were informed that the film would receive a ‘UA 16+’ certification.
However, an email dated January 5 indicated that the film would instead be sent to a Revising Committee under Rule 24 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, based on a complaint regarding religious sentiments and the portrayal of the armed forces.
The producers then sought recourse in the High Court, where the single-judge initially granted relief, but this was later stayed by the Division Bench.
Today, the Division Bench set aside the single-judge’s order.
KVN Productions was represented by Senior Advocate Satish Parasaran, along with Advocates Vijayan Subramanian and Shubang Nair, while the CBFC was represented by Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan.
Case Title: KVN Productions LLP v. Central Board of Film Certification SLP(C) No. 1800/2026
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