The film producers cannot seek judicial relief on the basis of their ₹500crore investment or the time of release,” said the Madras High Court on a case involving the censor certificate for the upcoming film Jana Nayagan starring Vijay.
It was noted that the single judge did not consider the matter in detail, as he had directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to give a UA certificate. The court added that the CBFC should have been given time to file their response.
The High Court observed that a further hearing would have helped determine whether the movie was properly examined either by the examining committee or by the Board, as the examining committee is only advisory in nature.
On behalf of the CBFC, Assistant Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan went on to say: “Our chairman has powers to refer movies to a revising committee. Several movies have been subjected to this process and it’s only Jana Nayagan which came up for certification?” On being questioned on it being only Jana Nayagan which has been sent to the revising committee for revision and whether it was in violation of rights to freedom of trade and commerce under Article 19(1)(g), Sundares
