Supreme Court Declines Plea on Vijay’s Jana Nayagan

Vijay’s film Jana Nayagan found itself in a tough spot just days before its release.

The postponement happened because the film couldn’t get the necessary censor certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided not to step in, telling the makers to wait for the January 20 hearing with a division bench of the Madras High Court.

The Supreme Court instructed the Madras HC to address the plea on January 20 after the producers’ lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, argued that a movie is a perishable item and that any more delays would cause serious injury.

Jana Nayagan was first submitted to the CBFC in December, with hopes of getting a certificate before the planned release on January 9.

An examining committee of five members viewed the film on December 19 and suggested 27 cuts.

After making those cuts, they recommended a U/A certificate for the film. The makers followed through with these recommendations.

However, one member later contacted the chairperson of the CBFC, Prasoon Joshi, claiming that their concerns had not been properly addressed.

In light of this objection, Joshi opted to send the film to a revising committee in January.

When the makers still hadn’t received a certificate after making the 27 cuts, they filed a petition with the Madras HC to contest the CBFC’s decision to withhold the censor certificate, which held its order on January 7.

Subsequently, the makers announced the release delay on their social media platforms.

On Friday, January 9, the Madras High Court made its ruling and instructed the CBFC to issue a U/A certificate for the film.

Justice PT Asha remarked, “After reviewing the materials, it’s evident that the complainant’s issue seems to be an afterthought.

The court further noted that the “chairperson’s exercise of power is beyond jurisdiction” since they had already decided to grant the film a U/A certificate.

The CBFC contested this decision in the High Court, and a division bench put a hold on the previous order, planning to hear the case after the Pongal holidays.

Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, who represented the CBFC, urgently approached the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, requesting a hearing for a writ appeal against Justice PT Asha’s ruling. The case was heard the same day.

A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, along with Justice G Arul Murugan, issued the interim stay after considering the urgent writ appeal filed by the CBFC against the ruling.

As a result, the film did not receive its certificate as previously directed by the Madras High Court.

The court set the next hearing for January 21. Subsequently, the filmmakers submitted a plea to the Supreme Court, and on Monday, January 12, it was revealed that the case would be heard on Wednesday.

Jana Nayagan is reportedly Vijay’s final film before he steps into the political arena.