CHENNAI: After setbacks in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, producers of actor-politician Vijay-starrer Jana Nayagan have now moved the HC to withdraw the writ petition filed against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). This marks an end to KVN Productions’ legal battle and indicates that they may now choose to pursue the issue through mechanisms available with the certification agency.
The matter has been listed ‘for withdrawal’ before Justice PT Asha for Tuesday, following a request made by the counsel for the producers Vijayan Subramanian to the Registry, stating the producers prefer to pursue the matter with the CBFC instead of going ahead with the legal recourse.
Touted as Vijay’s last movie, Jana Nayagan was scheduled for release on January 9. However, with CBFC delaying certification, the producers moved the HC to direct the board to issue certification as per its December 24 communication.
Bid to get order against HC stay went in vain
The urgent petition was taken up for hearing by Justice PT Asha on January 7, and after the completion of oral arguments, orders were reserved for January 9. In the meantime, the producers put off the release date. Justice Asha, in her order on January 9, found that the CBFC chairman’s power ends once the examining committee clears the movie for certification.
Observing that he cannot refer the movie to the revising committee based on the complaint of one of the members of the examining committee, she ordered the issuance of UA certification forthwith.
Within minutes, the CBFC moved the first bench headed by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava with an appeal. The bench granted interim stay after initially hearing the appeal. The producer’s attempt to get an order against the interim stay from the SC also went in vain as the latter reverted the matter to the HC.
On January 27, the division bench set aside the single judge’s order and reverted the writ petition to the single judge for fresh hearing by giving time to the CBFC to file a counter-affidavit.
In this context, KVN Productions has filed an application seeking to withdraw the petition so as to end the legal battle.