The Madras High Court, on Thursday, October 3, has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary to the Government, the Central Board of Film Certification, and Lyca Production, in a petition seeking to remove dialogues that glorify extrajudicial killings by police, often referred to as ‘encounters’. The petition was filed by a retired Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus conductor, Palanivelu.

In his petition, he pointed out that extra-judicial killings by the police cannot be justified by the dialogue “encounter is not only a punishment, but also a preventive action to stop such crimes”. The teaser of the film was released on September 20 and the final trailer dropped on October 2. The movie is expected to be released on October 10.

Palanivelu asked the court to direct the CBFC to change Vettaiyan’s UA certification (parental guidance required under 12) to A (adults) and also for an interim injunction against the screening of the film on its scheduled release date until the controversial dialogues were removed.

He also contended that the character of Rajinikanth as a ‘renowned encounter specialist’ would encourage audiences to value extrajudicial measures above legal recourse. The film also boasts an ensemble cast comprising Manju Warrier, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Ritika Singh, and Dushara Vijayan.