Breaking| Go Before High Court: Supreme Court Refuses to Interfere In Actor Vijay Movie 'Jana Nayagan' Censorship Row
A Bench noted the "blistering pace" of the litigation and directed the Division Bench of the Madras High Court to conclude the appeal proceedings by January 20, 2026.
The Supreme Court, today, declined to intervene in the legal battle surrounding the actor Vijay-starrer film Jana Nayagan.
On January 9, 2026, the Madras High Court had stayed the order of a single judge, which was passed on the same day, directing CBFC to grant a censor certificate to actor-turned-politician Vijay-starrer 'Jana Nayagan.'
The Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine Masih ordered, "We are not inclined to interefere. The division bench must make the endeavour to decide the appeal on January 20."
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for KVN Productions, while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the CBFC.
Justice Datta said, "This is a blistering pace Mr Rohatgi. When the matter is fixed before the division bench on 20th. You don’t challenge that order, which is quashed. 6th order of the chairman of the board was it under challenge in the writ? You go before the division bench."
Rohatgai replied, "Completely mala fide what has happened. This is a perishable commodity."
Justice Datta, "This needs to be amended, why a party should be given opportunity to file a reply... file before the division bench."
On Friday, January 9, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) urgently requested the Madras High Court to list its appeal against a single judge’s order. That order directed the board to immediately grant a U/A certificate to the movie Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay.
A Division Bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan granted the stay after the grounds for appeal were outlined by the CBFC. Challenging this order, the productions filed a Special Leave to Appeal.
Before the Single Bench of the High Court, a writ petition was filed seeking the issuance of a Writ of Mandamus directing the CBFC to grant a Censor Certificate in the name of the petitioner, being the producer of the film “Jana Nayagan” under the UA 16+ category, as per the CBFC's communication within a period of 24 hours. The lead cast actors for the above film are, Vijay, Prakash Raj and other leading artists from the South Indian Film Industry.
On December 18, 2025, the Petitioner applied for certification for Jana Nayagan. Following a review, the Examining Committee recommended a UA 16+ certificate subject to specific cuts. The petitioner complied, and by December 29, the CBFC confirmed the modifications were verified, and the certificate would be issued. The process then stalled due to technical issues on the CBFC portal regarding audio descriptions.
Despite the petitioner’s repeated reminders, the board failed to issue the certificate. Instead, on January 5, 2026, the CBFC unexpectedly referred the film to a Revising Committee following an undisclosed complaint regarding religious sentiments and the armed forces. The petitioner moved the court, arguing that once the committee had approved the film and cuts were made, the board could not legally restart the review process.
Accordingly, the matter is now disposed of before the Supreme Court.
Cause Title: KVN Production LLP vs Central Board of Film Certification [SLP(C) No. 1800/2026 Diary No. 1894 / 2026]