Thalapathy Vijay's Jana Nayagan may not be released in February as the single judge's order has been cancelled and the case has been sent back to the single judge for a fresh hearing.
Everyone hoped that Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan of Madras High Court would pronounce their judgment on a writ appeal filed by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had challenged Justice P.T. Asha's January 9, 2026 order directing the Board to issue U/A 16+ certificate to the movie forthwith.
The complaint sent by one of the members of the Examining Committee who watched the film has some important issues to be addressed. Jana Nayagan has shown some visuals and dialogues in which foreign powers are creating religious conflict on a large scale in India, which may disturb the religious harmony of the country.
Secondly, there are many Army-related references in the film, but no defense expert has been included in the EC to address these issues. Thirdly, there are procedural lapses during the examination of the film, which is a gross violation of the Cinematograph Act and Rules.
Hence, the order passed by the single judge has been cancelled. The court said that the single judge should have given time to file a counter affidavit. The matter has now been sent back to the single judge for a fresh hearing. The court also said that the producer is allowed to amend the prayer in his writ petition.
Sreedhar Pillai tweeted, "#JanaNayagan Judgement Update: heads back for a fresh hearing. The Chief Justice bench has cancelled the Single Judge's order, and says time should have been granted to file a counter affidavit. So it heads back for a fresh hearing and looks like will take more time."
The hearing will now start all over again from scratch, and the film's release could be delayed for months. It feels like a never-ending loop. Even In this Fresh Hearing, the single judge's order can be appealed again to the Division Bench, then the Supreme Court, and then the film will go to the Revising Committee only after the final judgment.
