The Madras High Court on Tuesday allowed KVN Productions to withdraw its writ petition seeking a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant UA certificate to actor-politician Vijay’s Tamil film Jana Nayagan, after the producers decided to opt for the statutory review process before the revision committee.
HC allows Vijay film producers to withdraw certificate applicationJustice PT Asha allowed KVN Productions to withdraw the application.
The production company’s decision comes after a division bench of Chief Justice MM Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan, on January 27, quashed the earlier single-judge order that directed the CBFC to issue a UA16+ certificate to the film and ordered a fresh hearing of the matter.
Recording the producers’ decision, Justice Asha, who directed the CBFC to issue the certificate, closed the process, clearing the way for the film to be examined by the revising committee constituted by the CBFC.
The KVN production approached the High Court when the CBFC, in early January, referred John Nayagan to a revision committee days before its planned January 9 Pongal release. Producers argued that the certification process reached its final stage after the testing committee recommended UA16+ certification, subject to 14 cuts and changes, on December 22.
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The referral to the revising committee, the producers claimed, derailed a process that was close to completion and jeopardized the film’s release. The CBFC, however, cited concern over religious sentiments and a complaint about the depiction of the armed forces to justify the referral.
On January 27, a division bench headed by Chief Justice accepted the CBFC’s contention that the board did not get sufficient opportunity to place its response on record before passing the order of certification in the January 9 order of Justice Asha. The bench noted at the time that the CBFC should, at the very least, be given sufficient time to file a counter-affidavit on the allegations of the producers that the CBFC Chairperson acted without jurisdiction.
The CBFC maintained that the examination committee’s recommendation did not amount to a final statutory decision under the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules and that the Chairperson acted within his powers to conduct further review after receiving the complaint. The board also argued that the producers could have directly challenged the January 5 communication by referring the film to the revising committee, but chose not to.
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KVN Productions’ counsel, senior advocate Satish Parasaran, defended the producers’ stand, saying that the board had effectively accepted the examination committee’s recommendations and only the certificate remained to be issued.
However, following the Division Bench’s order setting aside the single judge’s decision, the producers informed the court of its decision to withdraw the writ petition and join the proceedings of the revising committee.
According to KVN Productions, Jana Nayagan was submitted to the CBFC on December 18, 2025 and was already undergoing certification scrutiny before the current controversy arose.
