SC tells Jana Nayagan film producer to return to HC for order on CBFC clearance

The release of Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan has been pushed further with the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissing the producer’s plea for a censor certificate and asking them to go back to the Madras High Court for relief on January 20. KVN Productions LLP had challenged an interim order of the Madras High Court that stayed a single-judge direction to grant censor board clearance to the Tamil movie, which was slated for a Pongal release on January 9 and is billed to be Vijay’s last before his full-fledged entry into politics.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih questioned the pace at which the case was dealt with in the Madras High Court and asked the film producers to approach the division bench for relief on January 20.

It said the Madras High Court must decide the plea on January 20 itself after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the producers, said a film is a perishable item, and it would cause “serious injury” if adjudication of the dispute is delayed.