Madras High Court stops Dhanush from withdrawing tax exemption plea

Madras High court on Thursday stopped Dhanush from withdrawing his tax exemption plea that he had filed back in 2012 for his imported car. The court came down heavily on the actor for seeking such tax exemption in the first place. 

Dhanush had sought tax exemption for his Rolls Royce car, which he had imported from London. He was levied a tax amount of Rs 60.66 lakhs. When the actor filed a plea seeking tax exemption back in 2015, the court then directed the Regional Transport Officer to register the vehicle once the actor pays 50% of the tax. Accordingly, the actor had paid Rs 30.33 lakhs. However, he hasn’t paid the remaining amount so far as per the order. 

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, Dhanush’s side sought to withdraw the plea and agreed to pay the remaining 50% tax. However, Justice SM Subramaniam refused to accept the withdrawal plea of the actor. The court noted that it is its duty to 'contribute for the development of the constitutional principles as the Indian Constitution is not a mere law but a visionary document'. The court also wanted to issue an order instead of accepting withdrawal to prevent such pleas in the future. 

The High Court also censured the actor for seeking such tax exemption and questioned why the actor had not withdrawn the plea back in 2018 when the Supreme Court resolved the issue.

The judge further made some serious comments about the intentions of high-paid actors seeking tax exemption while the majority of the citizens continue to pay taxes despite poor income. The judge also claimed that such cases deprive the court of time that could be used for genuine issues.

The judge later adjourned the case by ordering the actor to pay the pending tax amount in the afternoon. 

Only a week ago, actor Vijay was criticised by the court for filing a similar tax exemption plea for his luxury car.