Poster of ‘Jana Nayakan’ starring Vijay. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Expectations of actor Vijay’s much awaited film! Jan Naygan The January 9, 2025 release looks bleak as the Madras High Court on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) reserved orders on a writ petition filed by production house KVN Productions LLP against the non-issuance of censor certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Order on January 9th
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A.R.L. After hearing the arguments, Justice PT Asha deferred his decision. Sundaresan for CBFC and senior advocate Satish Parasaran, assisted by advocate Vijayan Subramanian for the production house. The judge indicated that the verdict could be pronounced only on January 9.
During the debate, the ASG said that one of the five members of the screening committee, who had watched the film on December 19, had sent a complaint to the CBFC chairman saying that his objections were not considered before the committee recommended issuing a U/A 16+ certificate subject to certain cuts.
Authority for reference to review committee
Therefore, the CBFC Chairman had decided to send the film to a vetting committee comprising a large number of members, the ASG said and argued that the Chairman had every right to take such a decision under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, before the censor certificate was issued.
Saying that the production house cannot seek directions from the court, which amounts to preventing the statutory body from performing its legitimate functions, the ASG argued that the court can only direct the CBFC to perform its functions within the statutory time limit and take a decision one way or the other.
On the other hand, Mr. Parasaran argued that the CBFC need not give much importance to the dissent of just one of the five members of the inquiry committee. The recommendation of the majority of the four members should prevail over the minority view allegedly taken by one member of the committee, he said.
27 Cuts Made: Production House
He said, the production house has made all the 27 cuts and modifications recommended by the scrutiny committee and hence the film should be given a U/A 16+ certificate without referring it to the revising committee, allegedly based on a “so-called complaint” of a member.
The senior lawyer said, “The CBFC should perform its duty within the ambit of law. I am deposing your Lordships only to remind them of their public duty and to bring them on the path… I have invested ₹500 crore. This cannot be taken lightly. On top of that, I am also shouting that the film is to be released on January 9. I had applied on December 18 itself and had also gone through the urgent process.”
published – January 07, 2026 06:53 PM IST