Today, the Madras High Court directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a U/A certificate to the Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay, clearing the hurdle that had delayed its release.
The film’s certification was put on hold after a complaint claimed that some scenes hurt religious sentiments. Because of this, the movie’s release, which was scheduled for Friday, was postponed.
However, Justice P.T. Asha said the complaint appeared to be an “afterthought” and warned that allowing such objections at a late stage could set a “dangerous trend”.
The court noted that the CBFC’s Examining Committee had already recommended a U/A certificate for the film on December 22, subject to certain cuts and changes. The producer, KVN Productions LLP, made the required changes and resubmitted the film. On December 29, the CBFC’s regional office informed the producer that the film would be given a U/A certificate.
Despite this, on January 5, the producer received an email stating that the CBFC Chairperson had decided to send the film to a Revising Committee based on the complaint. The High Court held that this step was taken without authority. It said that once the suggested changes were made, the certificate should have been issued automatically.
Setting aside the CBFC Chairperson’s letter, the court allowed the petition and directed the Board to issue the U/A certificate to the film immediately.
KVN Productions argued that reopening the certification process after approval by the Examining Committee was illegal. The CBFC, on the other hand, claimed that the Chairperson had the power to order a review, even after the committee’s recommendation, especially if a complaint was received.
The production house countered this by saying that a member of the Examining Committee could not turn into a complainant and that the opinion of one member could not override the majority decision of the committee.
The court passed the order after hearing Senior Advocate Satish Parasaran for the producer and Additional Solicitor General A.R.L. Sundaresan for the CBFC.
Case: M/s KVN Productions LLP v. Central Board of Film Certification & Anr.
Case No.: WP 380 of 2026