The Madras High Court on Wednesday reserved its order in the case related to the delay in certification of actor-politician Vijay’s film Jana Nayakan after hearing arguments from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the film’s producer, KVN Studios. The order was reserved as the producers told the court that 27 cuts had already been made in the film in compliance with the directions of the inquiry committee.

Justice PT Asha heard the case, with Additional Solicitor General Sundaresan appearing for the board. During the hearing, the court questioned how the Censor Board could decide to send the film for fresh review when the production house had already made the cuts recommended by the scrutiny committee to issue a U/A 16+ certificate.

The CBFC said that if the Chairman of the Board is not satisfied with the recommendations of the screening committee, the film may be sent to a review committee for reconsideration. It further said that Jan Nayakan would be reviewed by a new committee consisting of members who were not part of the original inquiry committee.

The board informed the court that the production company was informed about the decision through an email on January 5. When the court questioned why the producer was not informed earlier, the CBFC He added that “there was no ulterior motive”. The reason behind sending the film to the review committee.

KVN Studios, in its arguments, said the inquiry committee consisted of five members, all of whom recorded their recommendations independently. The production house reported that while most of the committee members had agreed to give the film a U/A 16+ certificate subject to certain cuts, one member later lodged a complaint with the CBFC chairman.

Questioning the process, KVN Studios argued that the opinion of any one committee member cannot overrule the collective decision of the majority.

Highlighting the financial implications, KVN Studios presented that Rs 500 crore was invested in the project and it applied for certification under the urgent process on 18 December, while publicly announcing a release date of 9 January.

The producer further argued that once the screening committee cleared the film for certification subject to the cuts, the Board could not later send it to the vetting committee.

In response, the CBFC said that it had received a complaint alleging that the film had hurt the sentiments of the minority community. It was also submitted that the film depicted some symbols of the Defense Forces, and based on these concerns, it was decided to send the film to a vetting committee.

Additional Solicitor General Sundaresan told the court that the CBFC chairman has the authority to review a film until the censor certificate is formally issued, adding that once the certificate is granted, the government has no power to review it.

After hearing both the sides, Madras High Court reserved its order in the case. The release of the film will be decided on the basis of order.