In an unprecedented move, the South Indian Film Editor's Association (SIFEA) announced on Friday the temporary suspension of Pradeep E Ragav, editor of Vijay's Jana Nayagan, citing violation of the association's bylaws.

The suspension stems from the high-profile leak of Jana Nayagan's footage earlier this month, which led to the arrest of a freelance editor who had worked on the film. While SIFEA has clarified that Pradeep E Ragav is not directly responsible for the leak, his suspension has been enforced on two grounds — hiring editors who are not members of the SIFEA, and the fact that the leak occurred under his purview.

The association had convened an emergency meeting on April 17 to deliberate on the matter before arriving at this decision. During the suspension period, SIFEA has made clear it will not extend any support to Pradeep, and has called upon related associations to stand in solidarity with its action.

The move marks a significant precedent — despite multiple films having faced footage leak issues in the past, this is the first time a crew member has been directly implicated and penalised by a professional association in such a manner.