Anticipating a petition in the Supreme Court against the recent Madras High Court order denying relief to Jana Nayagan producers, the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) has filed a caveat in the top court.
A caveat is filed to make sure that the top court hears the Censor Board as well before passing any order if the filmmakers decide to move a petition in the top court.
In a bid to stay one step ahead, the CBFC has filed this caveat in top court. The filmmakers are yet to move Supreme Court against the Madras high court order by the division bench.
Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) allowed a writ appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and set aside a single judge's January 9, 2026, order, which had directed the board to issue U/A 16+ certification for actor Vijay's much-awaited final movie Jana Nayagan.
The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan held that the single judge ought not to have passed such orders without affording proper opportunity to the CBFC to file a counter affidavit to a writ petition filed by the production house KVN Productions LLP.
High court also held that the writ petition was not maintainable at all, as it had sought a mandamus seeking a direction to the CBFC to issue the certificate, instead of seeking a writ of certiorari to quash an order passed by the CBFC chairman on January 6, 2026.
However, instead of dismissing the writ petition, the Division Bench granted an opportunity to the production firm to amend its prayer and directed the Registry to restore the writ petition and list it for fresh hearing before the single judge if the production house chooses to utilise the opportunity granted by the Bench.
Previously, on January 15, Supreme Court bench headed by Bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih refused to entertain the matter, noting that the Division Bench of the Madras High Court is scheduled to hear the case on January 20.
However, the top court had said that the high court should endeavour to dispose of the matter on January 20.
ALSO READ | Vijay's Father SA Chandrasekhar Breaks Silence On Jana Nayagan Release Delay: 'He Is Not Afraid Of Anything'