The Madras High Court on Wednesday refused to grant anticipatory bail to D Uma Shankar in connection with the Jana Nayagan leak case, marking a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the piracy of the highly anticipated film.

Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan dismissed the plea after hearing arguments from both sides. Uma Shankar, a purchase manager at a Pothys textile showroom, had approached the court claiming that he had no role in the leak and was being unnecessarily implicated in the case.

Appearing for him, counsel R.C. Paul Kanagaraj argued that his client was innocent and had no connection to the illegal circulation of the film. However, the prosecution countered this claim, presenting a chain of events that allegedly links Uma Shankar to the offence.

According to the Additional Public Prosecutor, the main accused in the case is a freelance editor, identified as Prashanth, who allegedly stole footage of Jana Nayagan from an editing suite in Chennai by copying it onto a hard drive. The prosecution stated that the footage was then circulated among several individuals.

Uma Shankar, listed as A3 in the case, is alleged to have received the file through this network. The prosecution told the court that he compressed the file size, transferred it to his mobile phone, and forwarded it to others, thereby contributing to the spread of the pirated content. It was also pointed out that he had a connection to the co-accused through a colleague, further strengthening the suspicion against him. Taking these submissions into account, the court declined to grant anticipatory bail.

The case stems from the leak of scenes from Jana Nayagan on April 9, which triggered swift action from the Chennai cybercrime police. The film, directed by H Vinoth and starring Vijay, has been under intense public attention as it is expected to be the actor’s final film before his entry into politics.

Following the leak, police initially arrested six individuals. Subsequent investigations led to further arrests, including that of the freelance editor suspected to have illegally accessed and distributed the footage. In a related development, a cable operator in Coimbatore was also arrested for allegedly broadcasting a pirated version of the film.

Uma Shankar, in his plea, had stated that he is a heart patient and that he and his family had been subjected to continuous harassment by the police after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered by the Ashok Nagar police. He maintained that he had neither accessed nor shared any footage from the film and expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation.

Opposing his plea, the production house, KVN Productions, urged the court to dismiss the anticipatory bail petition, stressing the seriousness of the offence.

Written and directed by H Vinoth, Jana Nayagan also stars Pooja Hegde, Mamitha Baiju, and Bobby Deol, among others. The film is expected to receive its censor certificate and be released in theatres after the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Election results are announced on May 4.