CHENNAI: The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Economic Offences Court-I, Egmore, has dismissed a discharge petition filed by actor-director SJ Suryah in criminal proceedings initiated by the Income Tax Department over alleged tax offences covering six assessment years from 2002-03 to 2007-08.
The prosecution was launched under Sections 276C(1), 276C(2), 276CC and 277 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, relating to the alleged wilful attempt to evade tax, wilful attempt to evade payment of tax, wilful failure to furnish income tax returns within the prescribed time, and making false statements or false verification under the Act.
Dismissing the discharge petition, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate P Vidya held that the complaints, oral evidence and documentary evidence placed before the court disclosed a prima facie case against the accused.
The court directed SJ Suryah to appear before the trial court for the framing of charges, following which the criminal trial will proceed in accordance with law.
The Income Tax Department was represented by Special Public Prosecutor H Siddharth.
The prosecution has crossed multiple legal challenges. Earlier, the Madras High Court dismissed SJ Suryah's petitions seeking to quash the criminal complaints.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court of India declined to grant him relief against the High Court's order, allowing the prosecution to continue.