CHENNAI: The Chennai Principal Sessions Court has dismissed the bail petitions filed by nine persons who were arrested for allegedly leaking actor Vijay's film Jana Nayagan online.
After considering the submissions made by all parties, judge S Karthikeyan, citing the serious nature of the allegations and the current stage of investigation, dismissed the bail petitions filed by the nine accused.
The Vijay-starrer was set for a Pongal 2026 release, and has been delayed as it's presently under review by the Revising Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification. Meanwhile, the film was allegedly leaked online illegally on April 3.
Based on a complaint lodged by the maker, KVN Productions, the Cyber Crime Police registered a case against 21 persons and have been investigating.
The arrested accused Srinath, Sanjay, Bala, Manigandan, Ruthran, Rajesh, Prasanth, Selvam and Rajini, filed bail petitions before the Principal Sessions Court, Chennai.
When the matter came up for hearing before judge S Karthikeyan, petitioners' counsel contended that the accused had no role in uploading or circulating the film on online platforms or social media, and that they had merely received a Google Drive link, with no direct involvement in the alleged offence. They therefore sought a grant of bail.
Opposing the plea, the prosecution, represented by the City Public Prosecutor (CPP) G Devarajan, submitted that the production cost of the movie runs into several hundred crores of rupees.
The prosecution further submitted that the damage caused to the producer would be irreparable, and that the theatrical value, satellite value, OTT rights, overseas distribution rights, and overall market value would suffer enormous prejudice, directly affecting contracts and obligations and resulting in severe financial loss.
It was also submitted that the accused had a prior plan to upload the film on various unauthorised websites and social media platforms to earn money. Therefore, the prosecution strongly opposed bail for the accused.
Considering the submission, the judge then dismissed the bail plea.