Chennai Police claimed 1.2 crore watched Jana Nayagan before official certification and release.
Madras High Court rejected bail for two accused citing evidence tampering concerns.
Pirated Vijay film allegedly spread through Google Drive before reaching piracy websites.
The Jana Nayagan leak case has reached another crucial stage after Chennai Police informed the Madras High Court that Vijay's Jana Nayagan was watched illegally by nearly 1.2 crore people before receiving certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The revelation was made during the hearing of bail petitions filed by two accused allegedly linked to the high-profile piracy case, highlighting the massive scale of the leak.
Court denies bail in Jana Nayagan leak case
According to submissions made before the Madras High Court, the leaked version of the film began circulating on April 9, well before it had completed the certification process. As reported by The Hindu, Justice C. Kumarappan dismissed the bail applications of the fourth accused, S. Rajini, and the eleventh accused, Jayaprakash, after taking note of allegations concerning evidence tampering during the ongoing investigation.
The prosecution argued that releasing the accused could hamper the probe, influence witnesses and affect efforts to trace others allegedly involved in the piracy network.
How Vijay's film allegedly reached piracy websites
Investigators alleged that the prime accused, a freelance film editor, copied footage from an editing suite onto a hard drive before assembling it into a complete version with the help of two brothers. The prosecution claimed that the pirated copy was first uploaded to Google Drive before spreading to piracy platforms, including Tamil Rockers.
The government also informed the court that KVN Productions had secured an interim injunction directing internet service providers to block the illegal circulation of the film. However, authorities estimated that approximately 1.2 crore viewers had already accessed the leaked version before those restrictions took effect.
The prosecution further submitted that two accused remain absconding and that only a preliminary chargesheet has been filed, making custodial interrogation necessary to uncover the financial network behind the piracy operation.
Apart from the leak controversy, Jana Nayagan continues to await CBFC clearance after its original Pongal release was postponed. The makers are yet to announce a revised release date for what is expected to be Vijay's final film before his full-time political career.
