Chennai: Actor and TVK founder Vijay ’s movie ‘Jana Nayagan’ will not get a Pongal release as a division bench of Madras High Court on Friday stayed an order passed by a single judge earlier in the day directing the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a censor certificate to the film forthwith.

The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan granted the interim stay on an appeal moved by the CBFC immediately after the single judge passed the order.

The bench observed that CBFC was not granted sufficient time to respond to plea moved by KVN Productions LLP, which produced the movie. It also noted that CBFC’s directive referring the film to the revising committee was quashed by the single judge, while the same was not challenged by the producer.

The bench remarked that the producer was creating urgency and putting pressure on the court after announcing the release date even before obtaining the censor certificate. “How can you go ahead with the release of the film without even getting a certificate on hand? You cannot fix a date for release and put pressure on the system,” it said.

“Though the producer submitted that the order was passed by the single judge in extreme urgency, as the film was scheduled to be screened on Jan 9, we are not impressed by the submission because it is an admitted position on record that no certification was actually granted in favour of the producer,” the court said.

Representing CBFC, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the single judge cannot order a relief that was not sought. The referral order of the CBFC chairperson to the revising committee was not challenged. Yet the single judge quashed it, he said.

Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the producer, said it was shocking that a member of CBFC committee that reviewed the film filed a complaint against granting a certificate to the movie.

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After the Madras High Court on Friday initially ruled in favour of the makers of Jana Nayagan and directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a U/A 16+ certificate for the Vijay-starrer, the CBFC appealed the decision, seeking a fresh review. Following the appeal, the court temporarily stayed its order, observing that the producers had attempted to create a false sense of urgency around the film’s release, thereby putting pressure on the court, as reported by Live Law. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 21.

Justice PT Asha had earlier passed the order after hearing arguments from both sides, clearing a major hurdle that had led to the film’s last-minute postponement. However, minutes after the judge pronounced her verdict, the CBFC, through its counsel, additional solicitor general ARL Sundaresan, approached a bench led by Chief Justice MM Srivastava, seeking an urgent hearing on the challenge to the order.

Widely publicized as Vijay’s final film before he contests in the Tamil Nadu elections this year, Jana Nayagan was originally slated for release on January 9. An examining committee of the CBFC had initially recommended a U/A 16 certificate, subject to certain cuts, which were duly implemented by the filmmakers. However, the film was later referred to a revising committee following a complaint that raised objections to the portrayal of defence forces and scenes allegedly hurting religious sentiments. HTC

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India’s largest ticket refund; makers return around Rs. 1 crore

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The delay in certification led the makers to postpone the film’s release just two days before the original date of January 9. With advance booking already open, the film’s makers and ticketing platforms began a refund process for over 4,50,000 tickets, costing an estimated Rs. 1 crore in India alone.