Jana Nayagan Release Hurdle: Supreme Court to Hear Producer’s Plea Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on January 15 a plea filed by the producer of the Vijay-starrer Tamil film Jana Nayagan, challenging an interim order of the Madras High Court that stayed the grant of CBFC clearance to the movie.

As per the apex court’s cause list, a bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih is likely to take up the matter. The appeal has been filed by KVN Productions LLP against a January 9 order of a division bench of the Madras High Court, which put on hold a single-judge directive asking the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to immediately issue a censor certificate for the film.

Earlier on January 9, Justice P T Asha of the Madras High Court had directed the CBFC to grant certification to Jana Nayagan, setting aside the board’s decision to refer the film to a revising committee. The single judge held that once the CBFC had decided to grant certification, its chairperson had no authority to refer the matter for review.

However, hours later, a division bench comprising Chief Justice M.M. Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, acting on an appeal filed by the CBFC, granted an interim stay on the single judge’s order. The bench noted that the CBFC had not been given sufficient opportunity to file its reply and ordered notice to the producer, posting the matter for January 21.

The CBFC, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, argued that its January 6 letter referring the film to a revising committee had not been challenged before the single judge.

Jana Nayagan, widely promoted as Vijay’s final film before his full-fledged political entry through his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was slated for a Pongal release on January 9 but was delayed due to the certification dispute.