Writ petition in HC seeks FIR against Vijay

A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President C. Joseph Vijay in connection with alleged income tax irregularities linked to the 2015 Tamil film "Puli".

The petition, which was numbered by the High Court Registry on Wednesday, is expected to be listed shortly under the caption “For Maintainability.”

Though the plea had originally been filed last month, the Registry had initially declined to number the case.

However, the division bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, on April 8, directed the Registry to number the petition subject to maintainability.

The plea is based on income tax proceedings initiated after the release of "Puli" in 2015. According to documents referred to in the petition, the Income Tax Department had carried out search and seizure operations at premises linked to Vijay on September 30, 2015, during which certain materials were allegedly recovered indicating unaccounted cash transactions. The records reportedly suggested that producers P.T. Selvakumar and Shibu of SKT Studios had paid Vijay Rs 4.93 crore in cash in addition to Rs 16 crore paid through cheques as remuneration for the film.

The petition states that Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) had been deposited only for the cheque component and not for the alleged cash payment.

During the course of the tax proceedings, Vijay was reportedly questioned by Income Tax officials regarding the transactions. According to the petition, he admitted to receiving nearly Rs 5 crore in cash connected to the film and agreed to pay taxes on the amount. It was also stated that, in order to settle the matter amicably and cooperate with the department, he voluntarily disclosed an additional income of Rs 15 crore for the financial year 2015-16, including the alleged cash transaction.

Subsequently, on July 29, 2016, Vijay filed his income tax returns for the assessment year 2016-17, declaring a total income of Rs 35.42 crore, including the additional disclosed amount. The returns also reportedly included claims for depreciation of assets worth Rs 17.81 lakh and exemption for fans’ club expenses amounting to Rs 64.71 lakh.

The writ petition has now sought criminal action and registration of an FIR based on the findings recorded during the Income Tax proceedings.