Double setback for Vijay: Madras HC rules against him in tax, film cases

Madras High Court dismisses actor Vijay's plea against a ₹1.5 crore tax penalty for undisclosed income. Separately, the court set aside a single-judge order granting a U/A certificate to his film 'Jana Nayagan', remanding it for a fresh hearing.

Madras HC Upholds Tax Penalty Against Vijay

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of the Madras High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay. The petition challenged a ₹1.5 crore penalty imposed by the Income Tax Department for failing to voluntarily disclose an additional ₹15 crore in income. The undisclosed income was discovered following a September 2015 search-and-seizure operation conducted following the release of his movie Puli. The court upheld the penalty, ruling that the disclosure was not voluntary but a direct result of the department's investigation. Consequently, Vijay was held liable for the tax discrepancies uncovered during the raid.

Legal Tussle Over 'Jana Nayagan' Certification

Meanwhile, on his movie "Jana Nayagan", the Madras High Court on January 27 set aside an earlier order passed by a single-judge bench (of the High Court) which directed the CBFC to grant the movie the U/A certification. The filmmaker KVN Productions may move the apex court to challenge the High Court's decision, which had impeded the release of its film, due for release on January 9.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Madras High Court allowed an appeal filed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), setting aside a single-judge order granting a U/A certificate to actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Thalapathy Vijay's film 'Jana Nayagan'.

The bench held that the single judge ought to have granted time to the CBFC to file its counter-affidavit before passing the order. Accordingly, the matter has been remanded to the single-judge bench for a fresh hearing, with the observation that the film's producer is at liberty to amend the prayer in the writ petition. This came a week after the Madras High Court reserved its order on the appeal.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan was hearing the matter. The developments come in the wake of the Madras HC's single bench judgement, which directed the CBFC to issue a 'U/A 16+' certificate for the film, providing temporary relief to the producers. (ANI)

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