NE LEGAL BUREAU
CHENNAI, JAN 9
The Madras High Court on Friday directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a U/A certificate to the highly anticipated Tamil film Jana Nayagan, setting aside the board’s recent decision to refer the matter for review just days before the scheduled release — a move that triggered widespread legal and public uproar.
Justice P T Asha, while pronouncing the order, held that once the examining committee had recommended certification and communicated its decision, the chairperson of the CBFC had no jurisdiction to send the film to a revising committee based on a subsequent complaint — a conclusion that the court said bordered on being “without jurisdiction”.
- Judicial Intervention: Court sets aside board referral and mandates immediate film certification
- Regulatory Limits Tested: Ruling highlights jurisdictional overreach concerns in censorship process
- Release Uncertainty: Delayed Pongal debut as legal appeals continue
- Industry and Online Buzz: Filmmakers, fans and commentators weigh in on the certification battle
The film’s producer, KVN Productions, had approached the High Court after delays in issuing the censor certificate threatened to derail the movie’s January 9 release, prompting refunds for advance bookings and mounting uncertainty around its festival window debut.
Court Sets Legal Precedent on Censor Certification
Delivering the verdict, Justice Asha noted, “After examining the materials, it is crystal clear that the complainant’s grievance appears to be an afterthought.” The judge warned that allowing ad hoc objections after formal certification recommendations could set a dangerous precedent for the sanctity of the film certification process.
The ruling underscored that once modifications suggested by the examining committee were incorporated, the film’s certification should follow automatically, and that reopening the process without proper basis undermined procedural stability.
Legal Appeals Bring Release Roadblocks
Soon after the single-judge order directing issuance of the certificate, the CBFC filed an appeal to the Chief Justice, prompting a hearing by a Division Bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan. The appeal reflects ongoing regulatory pushback even as the court took a definitive legal stance on the board’s powers.
With legal challenges active and certification technically unresolved, the film’s release — originally targeted for the Pongal festival window — remains in flux, illustrating the complexities of film regulation in high-stakes, high-profile releases.
Industry and Public Response
The legal tussle has ignited commentary across social platforms and industry circles. In a widely shared post, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma criticised current film certification protocols, calling the CBFC “outdated” in the digital era and arguing that age classification makes sense, but censorship does not.
Fans and cinema-goers took to social media ahead of the court’s decision, expressing frustration over certification delays and speculating about postponements — with some online commenters noting that overseas premieres proceeded despite domestic hold-ups, reflecting the global ripple effects of regulatory actions.
Wider Context: Film, Politics and Certification
The film, directed by H Vinoth and starring Vijay alongside Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju and others, holds special significance as the actor’s final cinematic venture before a full-time political plunge — adding further intensity to the certification saga.
As the legal battle unfolds, the Madras High Court’s ruling stands as a key judicial statement on the limits of censorship authority and the balance between creativity, regulatory process and timely judicial oversight.
