Jana Nayagan: A freelance editor from Chennai, has filed for an anticipatory bail claiming that he does not have any role in the leakage of Vijay's Jana Nayagan. D Uma Shankar, who has been mentioned in the confession of one of the accused, arrested earlier by the Chennai Cyber Crime police, filed the bail at the Madras High Court, reported The Hindu.
Last week, the Chennai Cyber Crime police, announced that in their latest arrest of three persons, was a freelance editor who had illegally gained access to the film's footage and distributed it. While Uma Shankar's role in the illegal exploitation has not come to light, a counsel for the government informed that the police were investigating the editor's alleged involvement in the matter.
Uma Shankar, who claims to be a heart patient, alleges that after the Ashok Nagar police filed a First Information Report (FIR), he and his family has been continuously harassed by the police. He also claimed that he does not have a role in acquiring or sharing the footage, and maintains that he hasn't watched footage from Jana Nayagan. He also assured his willingness to participate in the investigation, if the court considered his bail and pardoned his arrest.
A counsel representing Jana Nayagan's production banner, KVN Productions, argued for a dismissal of the plea. The court directed the counsel to file an impleading petition and scheduled a hearing for April 30.
After the footage from Jana Nayagan was leaked on April 9, six people were arrested initially, after which three more people were arrested by the Cyber Crime police.
After the initial discovery of the leaks on April 9, various film personalities across the Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada film industries like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, and Rishab Shetty, expressed their support to Jana Nayagan's makers and condemned the actions of the accused.
On April 14, a cable operator in Coimbatore was arrested after he broadcast a pirated version of Jana Nayagan.
Written and directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan is Vijay's last film before he retires from films for politics. The film also stars Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, and Bobby Deol, among others.