'Jana Nayagan' piracy case: Over 12 million viewed leaked film before release

Chennai: The Chennai Police on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that over 12 million people had illegally watched the pirated version of Jana Nayagan, starring Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, after it was leaked online even before receiving certification from Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The submissions were made during the hearing of bail applications filed by two of the 21 accused arrested in connections with the film piracy case.

According to the police, the film was leaked online on April 9. The prime accused, a freelance film editor, allegedly copied footage directly from the editing suite onto a hard drive. With the help of his two brothers, he then stitched together the stolen footage into a complete version of the film and uploaded it to Google drive, from where it was allegedly circulated further.

Investigators told the court that the Google drive link eventually reached the piracy website Tamil Rockers, from where the movie spread rapidly across the internet. By the time authorities initiated action, more than 12 million people had already watched the pirated copy, highlighting the massive impact of online piracy.

Following the leak, production house KVN Productions approached the Madras High Court and secured an interim injunction directing internet service providers to block unauthorized websites and links hosting the film. However, the police said the pirated version had already been viewed by millions before the blocking measures could take effect.

The police further submitted that the key accused are absconding and that custodial interrogation is necessary to trace the financial transactions behind the piracy network. They added that only a preliminary charge sheet has been filed and the investigation is still underway.

Justice C. Kumarappan dismissed the bail applications filed by the fourth accused, S. Rajani, and the 11th accused, Jayaprakash. The court held that granting bail at this stage could hamper the ongoing investigation and increase the likelihood of evidence being tampered with.