Jana Nayagan Censor Row: No Relief For Thalapathy Vijay Starrer, Madras HC Stays Certification, Next Hearing On Jan 21
Madras High Court stayed the order directing CBFC to grant U/A certificate to Vijay's Jana Nayagan, saying producers created urgency; next hearing on January 21.
By ETV Bharat Entertainment Team
Published : January 9, 2026 at 5:26 PM IST
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Friday stayed a single judge's order that had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to immediately grant a U/A certificate to Vijay's upcoming Tamil film Jana Nayagan.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava said the CBFC was not given enough time to respond before the earlier order was passed. The bench observed that there was no real urgency and said the producers appeared to be putting pressure on the court by fixing a release date without having a censor certificate.
"You are creating a false urgency and putting pressure on the system," the Chief Justice told the film's producers, adding that they should have waited for the certification process to be completed.
The court noted that the CBFC had not yet granted any certificate and said the single judge's order could not be allowed to take effect until the appeal is decided. It also said the CBFC should have been given a proper chance to file its response.
The appeal was filed by the CBFC within minutes of the single judge's decision earlier in the day. The board argued that the single judge had set aside a CBFC communication that was not even challenged by the producers in their petition.
During the hearing, the CBFC's lawyers said the film was sent to a review committee after a complaint was received alleging that certain objections were not considered. They argued that the certification process was still ongoing and that the producers had moved the court too quickly.
The producers said the film was scheduled to be released on January 9, but the court pointed out that a release date cannot be fixed without a censor certificate.
The High Court has now stayed the earlier order directing the CBFC to grant a U/A certificate. The matter will be heard next on January 21.
Jana Nayagan, starring Vijay, was set for a Pongal release but has now been postponed due to the certification issue.
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