The Madras High Court has dismissed a petition by actor and TVK leader Vijay, upholding a Rs 1.5 crore penalty imposed by the Income Tax Department.
The fine relates to undisclosed income of Rs 15 crore discovered during a 2015 raid following the release of his film ‘Puli’.
The court ruled that the disclosure was not “voluntary” but a result of the department’s investigation.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy rejected the plea on the grounds that the penalty proceedings were valid and initiated within the legal limitation period.
While the writ petition was dismissed, the court granted Vijay liberty to challenge the order before the appropriate appellate authority on other legal grounds.