Madras HC sets aside single judge order directing CBFC to grant censor certificate to 'Jana Nayagan'
Chennai (PTI): In a setback to top actor Vijay-starrer Tamil film "Jana Nayagan", the Madras High Court on Tuesday set aside the order of a single judge that directed the CBFC to grant censor certificate to the movie, and said that certain references to the Army and religious sentiments require consideration.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice M M Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan stated that the single judge, Justice P T Asha, should have given time to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for filing counter affidavit.
The ruling virtually makes the fate of the film, originally slated for a Pongal release earlier this month, uncertain. The film is stated to be Vijay's last, ahead of his full-fledged political entry. He heads the fledgling Tamiga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) political party.
The Bench allowed an appeal filed by the CBFC, challenging the order of Justice Asha, dated January 9, which also quashed a communication dated January 5 of the Regional Officer of the censor board, stating that based on a complaint from one of its members, the matter has been referred to the revising committee by the Chairperson of the Board.
The bench gave liberty to M/s KVN Productions LLP, producer of the mega budget movie, to amend the prayer and approach the single judge for early hearing of its plea.
Pointing out that the film had some content relating to Army and religious sentiments, which may disturb the religious harmony in the country and hence the Chairperson had referred the matter to the revising committee, the bench said it requires consideration.
It stated that the single judge is at liberty to decide whether the decision taken to refer the matter to revising committee is correct or not.
The Bench on January 20 reserved orders, on the appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification, against an order passed by Justice Asha, after hearing elaborate arguments from both sides.
Justice Asha on January 9 allowed the petition filed by the producer of the film and gave a direction to the CBFC to grant censor certificate forthwith.
The judge had also quashed a communication dated January 5 of the Regional Officer, informing the producer of the film that based on a complaint, the Chairperson of the Censor Board had referred the matter to the revising committee. However, on the same day, the First Bench stayed her order.
Originally on December 22, 2025 the producer received a communication from the Regional Officer from Chennai informing that the 5-member examining committee, which viewed the film had recommended for screening of the movie and issuance of censor certificate.
Thereafter, based on a complaint from one of the members of the examining committee, the Chairperson had decided to put on hold the December 22 communication and referred the matter to the revising committee. This was communicated to the producer of the movie on January 5.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
