After Vijay, actor Dhanush faces wrath of Madras high court for seeking Rolls Royce tax exemption – Times of India

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Thursday refused to permit actor K Dhanush to withdraw a plea filed in 2015 seeking exemption from entry tax for import of a Rolls Royce car from the UK. The HC censured the actor for failing to pay the tax even after the issue was settled by the Supreme Court in 2018.
On July 13, the high court made several adverse remarks against actor Vijay while dismissing a similar plea moved by him seeking tax exemption. The order, however, has been stayed by a division bench of the court in an appeal moved by Vijay.
On Thursday, when the plea came up for hearing, counsel for Dhanush informed the court that the actor had already paid 50% of the tax and now he was willing to pay the remaining due. He sought the court to permit him to withdraw the plea.
Refusing to allow him to withdraw the plea, Justice S M Subramaniam said the petition has been pending since 2015. “If your intentions are genuine, you should have paid the tax at least after the Supreme Court settled the issue in 2018. But now after the high court listed the matter for passing the order, you are seeking to withdraw,” the judge said.
“You are going to drive the luxury car on the roads laid using the taxpayers’ money. Even a milk vendor and a daily wage labourer are paying taxes for every litre of petrol they buy. No such person approaches the HC seeking exemption from such taxes. At least I have not seen such a plea in my experience,” Justice Subramaniam said.
“No doubt that it is your right to move the court. But you should have paid the tax and withdrawn the petition at least after the SC settled the issue in 2018,” the court added.
“Are you aware that there is an act called the ‘Vexatious Litigation Act’. Due to such pending petitions, the high court is unable to allot time to decide genuine issues,” the judge said.
The court then directed the commercial tax officer concerned to be present in the court with a demand for the pending tax to be paid by the actor by 2.15 pm today. “I will pass orders by then,” the judge said and adjourned the hearing.