Vijay Gets Relief in Rolls Royce Entry Tax Case After Court Stays Earlier Order; Actor to Pay Pending Amount in Week

In a relief to actor Vijay, a division bench of Madras High Court has stayed the single bench judge's order admonishing the actor over his earlier petition challenging entry tax payment on his imported car. The actor's legal counsel has given an undertaking to the court that the actor will pay the remaining 80 percent of entry tax within a week.

Vijay's counsel, in his latest petition, had raised objection to the remarks in single judge Justice SM Subramaniam's previous order. The Justice had observed that the actors should be role model by paying the taxes promptly and made some unscathing remarks.

The actor's advocate stated that there was no justification for making those negative comments as the actor is ready to pay the remaining amount if the tax authority raises the demand.

The advocate Vijay Narayan requested the court to remove the critical comments made by the single bench judge and the imposed fine be deleted while requesting the division bench to pass a stay on the previous order. He reminded the court that the single judge had disposed of the cases without adverse remarks in similar cases.

"These remarks, there was not justification at all. In open court the same order as others were passed, but when judgment came, all these remarks (were made to the shock of the appellant)... The adverse publicity can hurt any human, he does not deserve this treatment", Bar and Bench quotes Narayan as arguing in the court.

The court directed the Commercial Tax department to raise the challan for the remaining amount.

What the Previous Order Said?

The Madras High Court slammed Vijay for seeking exemption of entry tax for his Rolls Royce Ghost Car which is imported from England in 2012. He was asked to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

The Madras High Court observed that taxes play a big role in nation-building exercise as it helps the government to carry out social welfare programs. "In the State of Tamil Nadu, cine heroes have risen as rulers of the State and therefore, the people are under the impression that they are real heroes. Thus, they are not expected to behave like reel heroes. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional," the court is quoted as saying by The Hindu.

The judge stated that the heroes portray themselves as the champions of justice in films and slam the corruption in our system in films, but they evade tax in real-life "which is not in consonance with the provisions of the Statutes."