In a significant development affecting the release of Tamil superstar Vijay’s much-anticipated film Jana Nayagan, the Madras High Court has observed that the movie contains content referencing foreign interference and Army-related visuals that may disturb communal harmony and hence warrant proper verification before being cleared for public exhibition.
A division bench of Chief Justice M M Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, in a detailed order made public on Wednesday, set aside the earlier order of a single judge which had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a censor certificate to the film forthwith.
The court noted that the CBFC had referred Jana Nayagan to its Revising Committee owing to serious concerns over its content. “From the records… it appears that the basis for referring the film… was because the film has some visuals and dialogues in which foreign powers are creating religious conflict at large scale in India, which may disturb religious harmony,” the bench said. It further pointed out that there were several Army-related references in the film, but no defence expert had been consulted or included in the process.
The bench underlined that these concerns were “serious” and necessitated a more thorough review before granting certification.
The appeal had been filed by the CBFC against the January 9, 2026, order of Justice P T Asha, which had quashed the CBFC Chairperson’s decision to refer the matter to the Revising Committee. The division bench held that the single judge failed to provide the CBFC an adequate opportunity to file its counter affidavit and justify its decision.
“The decision of the writ court delving into the merits of the matter has to go,” the bench stated, adding that the relief sought by the film’s producer was also procedurally defective, as it did not appropriately challenge the Chairperson’s referral decision through a writ of certiorari.
While allowing the CBFC’s appeal, the bench opted not to dismiss the producer’s writ petition entirely. Instead, it restored the petition, granting M/s KVN Productions LLP an opportunity to amend it in accordance with the court’s observations. The bench directed that, post-amendment, the single judge may provide a reasonable opportunity to CBFC to submit its response and then decide the matter on its merits.
“We make it clear that it will be open for the Single Judge to decide whether or not the decision to refer the film for examination of the Revising Committee was in accordance with law or not,” the bench clarified.
