The legal dispute surrounding the Tamil film ‘Jana Nayagan’, starring actor Thalapathy Vijay, remains unresolved following proceedings before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The film’s release continues to be uncertain after the court declined to intervene at this stage.
A Bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AG Masih noted that the matter is already listed before the Madras High Court on January 20. In view of the pending proceedings, the Supreme Court stated that it would not interfere and directed that the High Court hear and decide the case on the scheduled date.
The petition before the Supreme Court was filed challenging the decision to grant the film an ‘A’ (Adult) certificate. Vijay and the film’s producers sought a less restrictive certificate to enable wider public access to the film.
The controversy arose after the Central Board of Film Certification declined to grant certification in time, leading to delays in the film’s release. The matter was first taken to the Madras High Court after the CBFC decided to issue an ‘A’ certificate and referred the film to a review committee.
A single judge of the High Court set aside the CBFC letter referring the film to the review committee, holding that once the Board had taken a decision to grant a certificate, the Chairperson had no authority to refer the matter for review. Subsequently, the CBFC challenged the single judge’s order before a Division Bench.
The Division Bench observed that the CBFC had not been afforded a full opportunity to present its case and accordingly set aside the single judge’s order. During the proceedings, the CBFC was represented by Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared via video conferencing.
The film was scheduled to be released on January 9 to coincide with the Pongal festival but was postponed due to the absence of a censor certificate. The matter is now slated for consideration by the Madras High Court on January 20.
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