Vijay’s Jana Nayagan has missed its Pongal release after the Madras High Court supported the CBFC’s appeal. The court questioned the urgency claimed by the makers and posted the case for January 21.
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Jana Nayagan sensor row: Just when fans thought the censor trouble around Vijay’s much-talked-about film ‘Jana Nayagan’ was over, the story took a sharp legal twist. It began as a relief for the makers. But now it has turned into a tense courtroom drama with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) pushing back hard.
On Friday morning, the Madras High Court’s single judge directed the CBFC to grant a UA certificate to ‘Jana Nayagan’. The order was seen as a big win for the producers, who were racing against time for the film’s release.
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But within hours, the Union of India moved fast. The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) mentioned an urgent appeal before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan.
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The censor board was not willing to let the order stand without a fight.
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Arguing for the CBFC, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta flagged a serious concern. According to him, the producers had asked the court for specific reliefs. But the judge went beyond that.
“There is urgency, my lords,” Mehta said adding that the relief granted was not even part of the original prayer.
The ASG further argued that the court had set aside a letter issued by the CBFC Chairperson on January 6, even though that letter was never directly challenged by the producers in their plea.
In simple terms, the government’s stand was: ‘you cannot cancel something that was never questioned’.
Another major point raised by the ASG was about lack of time. The CBFC argued that the writ petition was filed on January 5, heard almost immediately, and decided within just two days.
The board claimed it was not given enough time to file a proper counter and defend its stand.
The ASG explained that the film applied for certification only on December 18, and by December 22, the CBFC had already communicated its decision to send the film to the Revising Committee (RC) after reviewing certain issues.
This communication, the government said, happened ‘before’ the producers moved the High Court.
While listening to both sides, the Chief Justice raised sharp questions not just for the CBFC, but also for the film’s producers.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for KVN Productions, told the court that the movie was scheduled for release on January 9, which is why the matter was urgent.
But the bench was not convinced.
The Chief Justice pointed out that the producers were creating pressure by announcing a release date without censor certificate in hand.
“You can’t fix a release date and put pressure on the system,” the court observed.
The bench even remarked that the producers could have waited for some more time instead of rushing to court.
An interesting moment came when Rohatgi said it was “shocking” that a member of the committee itself had filed a complaint against the film.
The Solicitor General responded saying that only committee members had actually watched the movie. So it was natural for concerns to come from within.
After hearing detailed arguments, the division bench made its position clear.
The court said that there was no sufficient time to respond. The letter dated January 6 was set aside without being formally challenged, and there was no real urgency, since the film did not yet have a valid certificate, reportedly.
Most importantly, the bench temporarily stayed the single judge’s order that had directed the CBFC to grant a UA certificate.
This means ‘Jana Nayagan’ will not get the UA clearance for now.
The High Court has posted the matter for January 21, after the Pongal holidays. Until then, the earlier order in favour of the producers will remain suspended.
For now, ‘Jana Nayagan’ is caught in legal pause. The release plans are hanging in the balance and all eyes on what the court decides next.
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