Vijay-Starrer Jana Nayagan: Producer Challenges Madras HC Order in Supreme Court

The producer of the Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring actor Vijay, has moved the Supreme Court of India against an interim order passed by the Madras High Court, which stayed the grant of CBFC certification to the film.

KVN Productions LLP, the producer of the film, filed a Special Leave Petition challenging the order of a Division Bench of the High Court that had stayed an earlier direction of a Single Judge. The Single Judge had ordered the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue the certificate immediately.

Jana Nayagan is expected to be the last film of actor Vijay, who has recently entered active politics after launching his own political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The film was announced as a Pongal release scheduled for January 9.

The dispute began when the CBFC Chairperson decided on January 6 to refer the film to a Revising Committee. This decision came despite the Examining Committee of the CBFC’s Chennai Regional Office having agreed to grant the film a U/A 16+ certificate, subject to certain edits.

Challenging this move, the producer approached the Madras High Court. On January 9, a Single Judge allowed the plea and directed the CBFC to issue the certificate immediately. However, the same day, the CBFC filed an urgent appeal before the Division Bench, which stayed the Single Judge’s order and listed the matter for further hearing on January 20.

The Division Bench noted that the Single Judge had passed the order without giving the CBFC sufficient opportunity to present its case. The writ petition, filed on January 6, had been heard the very next day.

Before the High Court, the producer explained that the film was first submitted for certification in December 2025 and that suggested changes by the CBFC were accepted. A revised version was uploaded on December 24, 2025. On December 29, the CBFC’s Chennai office informed the producers that the film would be certified. However, due to technical issues on the CBFC portal, the final upload could not be completed, and the CBFC was informed about the issue.

On January 5, the producers received a communication stating that the Chairperson had decided to refer the film to the Revising Committee under Rule 24, following a complaint alleging that certain scenes hurt religious sentiments and portrayed the armed forces improperly. Notably, the complaint was made by a member of the Examining Committee that had earlier cleared the film.

Justice PT Asha, in the Single Judge order, held that the Chairperson’s decision to suo motu refer the film to the Revising Committee after accepting the Examining Committee’s recommendation was not sustainable. The Court also observed that a complaint by a member who had already recommended certification could lead to an unhealthy practice and weaken the credibility of the certification process.

The Division Bench, led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, later observed that the Chairperson’s January 6 order was not directly challenged in the writ petition. The Bench also questioned the producers for announcing the film’s release date before obtaining final CBFC clearance, noting that such urgency put unnecessary pressure on the Court.

The matter is now before the Supreme Court for consideration.