Appearing before the court, counsel for the production house reportedly argued that the film is suitable for a U/A certification and that all concerns raised by the CBFC had already been addressed. the petitioner informed the court that while Jana Nayagan has secured certification in 25 countries, its Indian theatrical release has been stalled solely due to the pending certificate

The Madras High Court recently took up a petition filed by KVN Productions regarding the delay in the issuance of a censor certificate for Jana Nayagan, the upcoming Thalapathy Vijay-starrer that is slated for a grand release on January 9.

Appearing before the court, counsel for the production house reportedly argued that the film is suitable for a U/A certification and that all concerns raised by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had already been addressed.

The Madras High Court then posted the matter to January 7. When the plea came up for hearing, Justice P T Asha orally asked the Central Board of Film Certification to produce a copy of the "complaint" received by it, claiming that the film "hurts religious sentiments," on Wednesday, reported PTI.

According to a report in India Today, the petitioner informed the court that while Jana Nayagan has secured certification in 25 countries, its Indian theatrical release has been stalled solely due to the pending certificate.

The counsel further submitted that members of the certification panel had already screened the film and were initially satisfied with its content. However, the decision to re-examine the certification was allegedly taken later based on inputs from an individual who had not viewed the film. Terming the move irregular, the petitioner’s counsel stressed that any reconsideration of certification must follow a prescribed legal process.

“For any revision, a specific procedure is laid down. Such reconsideration is akin to an appeal and must be placed before a revising committee,” the counsel told the court, referring to established CBFC guidelines.

According to the petition, despite these procedures, an order was issued by the CBFC chairperson on December 22. Following this, the regional officer reportedly informed the producers that they could approach the revising committee if they were dissatisfied with the decision.

KVN Productions maintained that it had complied with all cuts and modifications suggested by the board and that no substantive objections remain unresolved. “At this stage, only the administrative act of issuing the certificate is pending,” the counsel submitted.

The production house also stated that Jana Nayagan was planned as a simultaneous multi-language release across four languages on January 9. Repeated representations were allegedly made to the authorities seeking timely issuance of the certificate, but no response was received.