A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court against actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Thalapathy Vijay seeking an FIR against him in connection with an alleged income tax irregularities
case linked to the 2015 Tamil film Puli.
Though the petition was originally filed last month, the Registry had initially declined to number the case. However, a division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan on April 8 directed the Registry to number the plea, subject to maintainability.
What Is The Case About?
The petition is based on income tax proceedings initiated after the release of Puli in 2015. According to documents cited in the plea, the Income Tax Department had conducted searches in September 2015 at premises linked to Vijay. Reportedly, during these raids, certain materials were recovered, indicating unaccounted cash transactions connected to the actor’s remuneration for the film.
As per the plea, the producers of the film P.T. Selvakumar and Shibu had paid Rs 4.93 crore in cash to Vijay apart from a cheque of Rs 16 crore for his performance in Puli. Therefore, the plea claims that Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) was deposited only for the amount mentioned on the cheque and not for the alleged cash payment.
Vijay’s Political Debut
This comes at a time when Vijay’s political debut has received an overwhelming response. His party has emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. However, it remains 10 seats short of the majority mark of 118. This means that in order to form a government, it is crucial for TVK to form an alliance.
While some reports suggest that TVK might join hands with the DMK, which won 59 seats, others claim that an alliance with AIADMK (47 seats) might also be possible.
Reportedly, Vijay has also written to the state governor, Rajendra Arlekar, seeking an invitation to form the government.
Several media reports also claim that Vijay is likely to take the oath as the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 7. However, there is no official confirmation regarding this as of now.
