Actor-producer Vishal appeared before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, Chennai, today, in connection with the case filed against him by the Income Tax Department for non-payment of Rs 1 crore in taxes.
According to the complaint, Vishal has not remitted tax on salaries paid to the employees of his production house Vishal Film Factory, and the pending dues come up to Rs 1 crore. He has been receiving notices seeking his response since 2016, and the IT department alleges that he failed to respond to them. It filed a case in the Economic Offences court in Egmore in July, and the court summoned Vishal for hearing, once in July and later in August, but he did not appear on both dates.
On August 2, Vishal’s advocate argued that they did not receive the summons and sought an exemption for Vishal appearing in court. To this, M Sheela, the public prosecutor from the Income Tax department, asked how the counsel filed a petition to condone Vishal’s absence if they did not receive the summons.
The Egmore court denied Vishal’s petition and issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him. The case was adjourned for today.
According to Thanthi TV, the hearing has now been further pushed to September 12.
சென்னை வடபழனியில் விஷால் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனம் தொடர்பாக வருமான வரியை குறிப்பிட்ட காலத்துக்குள் செலுத்தாத வழக்கு அடுத்த மாதம் 12ம் தேதிக்கு ஒத்திவைப்பு..#Vishal pic.twitter.com/M30y5TjGg5
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) August 28, 2019
Vishal Film Factory, a production, distribution and music company was set up by Vishal in Vadapalani, Chennai, in 2013. The first film he produced was Suseenthiran’s Pandiya Naadu, starring him and Lakshmi Menon. He later bankrolled Naan Sigappu Manithan, Ambala and Kathakali, and distributed Pattathu Yaanai and Jeeva. Some of the most successful films produced by him are Thupparivalan, Irumbu Thirai and Sandakozhi; he also distributed Yash’s Kannada film KGF: Chapter 1 in Tamil Nadu.
Vishal has also been in the middle of controversies at the South Indian Artistes’ Association or Nadigar Sangam, of which he was the general secretary, and the Tamil Film Producers Council presided by him. A Government-appointed officer took charge of the TFPC when allegations of mismanagement by his team was proved in a Government-led investigation. Cases related to both the Councils are pending in the Madras High Court.
