Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has filed an appeal before a division bench of the Madras High Court, challenging a single judge’s order that upheld an Income Tax Department penalty of Rs 1.5 crore.
The case traces back to the 2015 release of the film Puli. Following an Income Tax search at Vijay’s residence on September 30, 2015, the department said it found that he had received Rs 16 crore as salary by cheque and an additional Rs 15 crore in cash for acting in the film.
According to the department, the additional Rs 15 crore was not disclosed in his accounts. Citing concealment of income, it imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore.
Vijay had earlier approached the High Court against the penalty. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy dismissed the petition, stating the penalty order was passed within the prescribed time and that there was no illegality warranting court interference, while granting liberty to appeal.
In the appeal, Vijay has contended that his submissions were not properly considered and alleged that the department clubbed income from periods after Puli despite different timelines, arguing that the matter involves complexities and that the penalty was imposed deliberately. The appeal is expected to come up for hearing soon.
