CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday permitted the withdrawal of a petition seeking registration of an FIR and initiation of proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay over allegations of suppression of income.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea and dismissed it as withdrawn.
According to the petitioner, the Income Tax Department, during a search conducted at Vijay's residence in 2015, allegedly found that remuneration of Rs 15 crore received for the film Puli had not been disclosed in his accounts.
The Department subsequently imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore.
Vijay had challenged the penalty order before the Madras High Court. However, the court dismissed his petition on February 5.
The present petition was filed by M Rajkumar of Kodungaiyur, who sought directions to the Income Tax Department to examine materials collected during the search, assessment records and the penalty order, and initiate prosecution under the Income Tax Act.
The petitioner also sought directions to register an FIR against Vijay for alleged offences, including cheating and criminal conspiracy, in connection with the alleged suppression of income.
Further, the plea sought directions to forward materials gathered during the Income Tax proceedings to the Enforcement Directorate for examination of whether a prima facie case existed for action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The court, however, permitted the withdrawal of the petition and dismissed it as withdrawn.