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‘Appeal made at blistering pace’: No relief for Vijay film as Supreme Court asks ‘Jana Nayagan’ makers to approach Madras HC over CBFC clearance

The Supreme Court asked the Madras High Court to decide the plea by the 'Jana Nayagan' makers on January 20, when it is scheduled to be heard.

2 min readUpdated: Jan 15, 2026 01:23 PM IST

The Vijay-starrer was due for a Pongal release but was stalled after CBFC refused certification.

The Supreme Court asked Jana Nayagan producers to seek relief from the Madras High Court and agreed to their request for an early hearing on January 20. (Photo: X/@actorvijay)

The Supreme Court Thursday asked the producer of Jana Nayagan, starring actor-politician Joseph Vijay, to approach the Madras High Court seeking a clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the Tamil film.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih asked the Madras High Court to decide the plea on January 20, when it is scheduled to be heard.

Justice Datta noted that the matter is already posted for hearing by the Madras HC division bench on January 20. He said the appeal was made at “a blistering pace”. “When matter is fixed before the division bench, you don’t challenge that order…Go back to the division bench.”

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Vijay, said, “I have lost everything, this is complete malafide.”

Rohatgi added that publicity has already happened, and people will not wait for three months, urging the bench to at least direct the HC to decide it on January 20.

The SC agreed to the request.

Jana Nayagan, which is widely publicised as Vijay’s final film before his full-fledged entry into politics, was slated for a Pongal release on January 9. However, the film ran into last-minute hurdles after CBFC refused to grant certification.

Also Read | Jana Nayagan producer says film didn’t receive CBFC certificate even after making changes, apologises to audience: ‘Vijay deserves the farewell he has earned’

A single judge of the Madras High Court directed CBFC to give clearance to the movie, setting aside the film board’s directive to refer the matter to a review committee. The judge said that once the board had decided to grant the certificate, the chairperson had no power to send the matter to the review committee.

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On January 9, the Madras High Court stayed a single judge’s order, following which the film’s producer approached SC.