The Supreme Court declined a plea from the producer of the Tamil film ‘Jana Nayagan’, featuring actor-politician Vijay, requesting the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a censor certificate for the movie’s release. Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih mentioned that the Madras High Court Division Bench is already handling the issue and is set to hear the appeal on January 20. The Court refused to intervene, emphasizing that the Division Bench should aim to resolve the appeal on the scheduled date.
The plea, filed by KVN Productions LLP, challenged an interim order of the Madras High Court Division Bench that had halted a single judge’s directive for an immediate censor certificate issuance by the CBFC. Initially, on January 9, a single judge bench of the Madras High Court had granted the producer’s request and instructed the CBFC to promptly issue a U/A 16+ certificate for the film. However, the CBFC swiftly appealed to the division bench the same day, resulting in a stay on the single judge bench’s directive and prompting the producer to approach the Supreme Court for relief.
The division bench, led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, postponed further hearings to January 20. Criticizing the producer for announcing a release date without obtaining CBFC clearance, the division bench highlighted the pressure put on the Madras High Court due to the film’s proposed release on January 9. The certification delay stemmed from objections raised by one committee member, despite others recommending a U/A 16+ certificate with modifications, making ‘Jana Nayagan’ a closely monitored release as Vijay’s final film before his political venture.
