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A Division Bench of the Madras High Court connected Tuesday (January 27, 2026) allowed a writ entreaty filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and acceptable speech a azygous judge’s January 9, 2026, bid which had directed the committee to contented U/A 16+ certification for histrion Vijay’s much-awaited last movie Jana Nayagan.
First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan held that the azygous justice ought not to person passed specified orders without affording due accidental to the CBFC to record a antagonistic affidavit to a writ petition filed by the accumulation location KVN Productions LLP.
The Bench besides held the writ petition was not maintainable astatine all, arsenic it had sought a mandamus seeking a absorption to the CBFC to contented the certificate alternatively of seeking a writ of certiorari to quash an bid passed by the CBFC president connected January 6, 2026, for referring the movie to a nine-member revising committee.
However, alternatively of dismissing the writ petition, the Division Bench granted an accidental to the accumulation steadfast to amend its supplication and directed the Registry to reconstruct the writ petition and database it for caller proceeding earlier the azygous justice if the accumulation location chooses to utilise the accidental granted by the Bench.
“If the respondents suitably amends, the writ petition, the learned azygous justice whitethorn spend tenable accidental to the CBFC to record a antagonistic affidavit and thereafter, the parties whitethorn commune for expeditious disposal of the writ petition connected its ain merits,” the Division Bench wrote.
Moreover, not wanting to spell into the merits of the case, the Division Bench said: “We marque it wide that it volition unfastened for the learned the azygous justice to determine whether the CBFC chairman’s notation was successful accordance with instrumentality oregon not.”
Stating that the crushed for the CBFC president having referred the movie to the revising committee was a superior ailment received by him regarding the lack of a defence adept successful the movie, the judges said, this was each the much a crushed for the azygous justice to person fixed a due accidental to the committee to record a antagonistic affidavit.
What is the lawsuit about?
According to the producers, the pre-production enactment for the movie had begun arsenic aboriginal arsenic May 2024 and the puja ceremonial was held connected October 4, 2024. The shooting commenced connected October 5, 2024, and the full station accumulation enactment was completed connected December 15, 2025. The audio motorboat was held successful Malaysia connected December 21, 2025.
In the meantime, the accumulation location filed an exertion for censor certificate earlier the CBFC connected December 18, 2025. The exertion was filed done the e-cinepramaan portal nether the tatkal process. Thereafter, an examining committee, comprising 5 members chosen randomly from a database maintained by the Board, was constituted.
The examining committee watched the movie astatine a preview theatre connected December 19, 2025, and unanimously recommended the issuance of a U/A 16+ certificate taxable to the shaper carrying retired the excisions listed retired by the members. The proposal made by the examining committee was placed earlier the Board for its approval.
On December 22, 2025, the CBFC Chennai Regional Officer wrote to the accumulation location stating that “the Board” had decided to judge the proposal of the examining committee and contented the U/A 16+ certificate if the excisions were carried out. The accumulation location chose to judge the U/A 16+ certificate and not to spell connected entreaty to the revising committee for a U certificate.
The excisions, listed retired by the examining committee, were carried retired and the movie was re-submitted connected December 24, 2025. However, determination was a lull for agelong until the CBFC Regional Officer connected January 5, 2025, informed the shaper that the CBFC president had decided to notation the movie to a revising committee pursuing a ailment received by him.
The shaper was not informed astir the details of the complainant but for being told that the ailment was related to definite visuals having the alleged effect of disturbing spiritual harmony and the lack of a defence adept successful the examining committee though the movie had respective references to the Indian Army.
Immediately, the accumulation location moved an urgent writ petition earlier the High Court connected January 6, 2026, and sought a absorption to the CBFC to contented the U/A 16+ certificate, arsenic recommended by the examining committee, wrong 24 hours. Justice P.T. Asha heard the substance and directed the CBFC to nutrient each applicable records connected January 7, 2026.
On the aforesaid day, the justice heard the arguments precocious connected behalf the accumulation location arsenic good arsenic the CBFC and reserved her orders, which were pronounced connected January 9, 2026.
After perusing the records, the justice recovered that it was 1 of the members of the examining committee who had lodged a ailment with the CBFC president though that subordinate himself had listed retired arsenic galore arsenic 10 excisions, regarding his ailment astir spiritual harmony, successful Form VIII aft watching the movie successful a preview theatre connected December 19. The shaper had carried retired each those excisions.
Insofar arsenic the ailment regarding the lack of a defence adept successful the examining committee was concerned, the azygous justice recovered that the complainant had not made immoderate notation regarding that successful Form VIII. Therefore, the azygous justice concluded that the ailment appeared to beryllium an “afterthought and motivated.”
Though the CBFC argued that the chairman’s decision, uploaded connected the e-cinepramaan portal connected January 6 had not been challenged by the shaper who had lone sought a absorption simpliciter to contented a U/A 16+ certificate, the justice moulded the relief, quashed the January 6 determination of the CBFC chairman, and ordered issuance of U/A 16+ certificate forthwith.
Within a fewer hours aft she pronounced the orders connected January 9, the CBFC moved an urgent writ entreaty earlier the archetypal Division Bench complaining that the azygous justice had passed the orders successful a hasty mode without granting the committee an accidental to record a antagonistic affidavit and obtained an interim enactment against her order.
Thereafter, the writ entreaty was argued astatine magnitude connected January 20, erstwhile the Division Bench reserved its orders and decided to pronounce it connected Tuesday.
