Madras High Court Delivers Setback to ‘Jan Nayagan’ Over Communal Scenes

The Madras High Court has observed that the film ‘Jana Nayagan’ contains scenes that allegedly incite religious unrest in the country with the support of foreign forces. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M. M. Srivastava and Justice Arul Murugan delivered a significant verdict on Tuesday, setting aside the earlier order of a single judge that had directed the grant of a U/A certificate to the film. The key observations from the judgment have now come to light.

As part of its ruling, the Bench noted that the single judge had not provided sufficient time to explain the powers of the CBFC Chairperson or to adequately hear the arguments of the Censor Board. The court also pointed out that the film’s production house failed to submit concrete evidence to support its claim that a decision had been taken to grant the film a U/A 16+ certificate.

The court further stated that the decision to refer the film to a Revising Committee was taken based on a complaint lodged by a member of the CBFC’s Reviewing Committee. It observed that the movie includes scenes that could disrupt religious harmony, which prompted the decision to place it before a nine-member Revising Committee. Additionally, the Bench highlighted that the film contains several sensitive scenes related to security forces. Since subject-matter experts were not part of the committee that initially reviewed the film, it was deemed necessary to send it for revision. The court clarified that the film’s makers are at liberty to file a fresh petition. It also stated that after hearing all parties in detail, the single judge may decide whether the film should be referred to the Revising Committee or not.