The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved the order in the Jana Nayagan censor certificate case. During the hearing, the high court said the makers of the Vijay-starrer can't seek relief saying that they have an investment of Rs 500 crore riding on the project.
The Madras High Court also said that the single judge, who initially directed the Censor Board to grant a UA certificate to Jana Nayagan, "failed to examine" the case regarding the highly-anticipated Vijay film in depth.
"The single judge ought to have given CBFC at least minimum time to file counter... The producer can't seek relief citing release date and Rs 500 crore investment," the court said.
"The single judge has failed to examine in depth. A detailed hearing would have exposed who watched the film - the examining committee or the board," it said, observing that the examining committee is "only an advisory body".
Assistant Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, who is arguing the case for the board, said the Censor Board Chairperson has powers to order a review of a film by a revising committee.
Several films have been sent to the revising committee, not just Jana Nayagan, he said. The ASG also said that the objections harboured by the Censor Board were conveyed to KVN Productions, the banner behind Jana Nayagan, within seven days.
The ASG argued that the producers didn't challenge the review by the revising committee even though they knew about it. However, a single judge sought submission of record, he added.
"The single judge ought to have given two days to file a counter if not four weeks. The communication assuring certification if the recommended cuts were made was not the final order," the ASG said.
Senior advocate Satish Parasaran, who is fighting the case for KVN Productions, said there is no transparency in the Censor Board.
Sending the film to the revising committee after assuring certification is illegal, he added.
The senior advocate then said that the Censor Board gave no information on complaints against Jana Nayagan, that's why the single judge passed the order, adding there was "nothing wrong in it".
He also said that the Censor Board chairman's orders were not given to the makers yet. "We were merely informed," he further said.
The senior advocate argued that since the required changes were made to the film, the certification ought to have been done in two days.
The ASG, appearing on behalf of the Censor Board, said the complaint was given the chairman in Mumbai. "Rules don't permit divulging information about the complainant till certification," he added.
Billed as Vijay's last film before he turns into a full-time politician, Jana Nayagan was originally scheduled to be released on January 9. In the run-up to the release, the makers were informed that the film had been referred to the revising committee based on a complaint, following which they went to Madras High Court.
The Madras High Court ordered the Censor Board to issue the UA certificate to the makers once the modifications were done. But the board appealed against the high court's verdict, saying it wanted a revising committee to go over the film again. The Madras High Court's two-judge bench order then stayed the single bench's direction to the Censor Board to grant the certificate and posted the case for January 21, after the Pongal holidays.
KVN Productions then filed a plea with the Supreme Court which heard the case on January 15. But the top court scrapped the makers' petition and directed them to go to the Madras High Court after they pressed for expeditious hearing, saying it was "not inclined to hear plea".
The Jana Nayagan saga unfolds as Vijay remains under CBI scanner in the Karur stampede case. The actor, who is looking forward to contesting the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections under his own political party TVK, was questioned about the September 27, 2025 rally for the second time on Monday in Delhi.
Directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan also stars Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju, along with Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain and Priyamani.
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