Madras HC Stays Censor Clearance For Vijay’s Jana Nayagan

It was a close call for actor Vijay’s highly awaited final film Jana Nayagan when a single judge from the Madras High Court, on Friday (January 9, 2026), ordered the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to promptly issue a U/A 16+ certificate.

However, just a few hours later, the first Division Bench of the court that reviewed an appeal put a hold on that order.

The first Bench, led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, granted the temporary stay after Additional Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan requested an urgent hearing for the appeal.

The Bench believed that the single judge should have allowed time for the CBFC to submit its counter affidavit before making a decision on the writ petition submitted by the production company.

When the Bench was informed that urgent orders were necessary in the writ petition because KVN Productions LLP planned to release the film on January 9.

The Chief Justice remarked: You can’t fabricate a false state of emergency to pressure the court into making decisions. How can you proceed with the movie screening without having a certificate in your possession?.

Earlier, Mr. Sundaresan informed the court that the writ petition was submitted on January 6 and was heard the same day after a lunch motion was granted.

Following that, the CBFC was instructed to present the records on January 7, when the single judge reserved the orders and announced them on January 9.

Justice P.T. Asha noted that a five-member examining committee from the CBFC had viewed the movie on December 19, 2025, and all members unanimously recommended issuing a UA 16+ certificate after outlining the necessary cuts.

This decision was communicated to the production house on December 22.

The producers agreed to the recommendation, made all the required cuts, and resubmitted the edited version on December 24.

Later, on December 29, the production house was notified that the Board had decided to issue a U/A certificate.

However, on January 5, in a surprising turn of events, the Regional Officer of CBFC stated that the chairman had chosen to refer the movie to a revising committee.

Complaint regarding the portrayal of armed forces

The chairman made this decision because of a complaint about how the movie depicted scenes involving the armed forces, but there was no expert on the topic in the reviewing committee.

When Justice Asha inquired about the identity of the complainant, she was informed that it was one of the five members of the examining committee who had raised the complaint.

Surprised, the judge questioned how the member could file a complaint after the producers made all the changes he suggested after watching the film.

“It’s pretty obvious that the complainant’s claim of not being given a chance seems like an afterthought and is likely motivated”, the judge noted in her ruling.

She further added: “Such a sudden change of heart from a member of the examining committee, who had previously made a recommendation after watching and understanding the film, could lead to a troubling trend where members backtrack on their recommendations, ultimately undermining the integrity of the examining committee’s decisions at the CBFC”.

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