Press "Enter" to skip to content

Income tax sleuths knock on Vishal’s doors, a day after he slammed BJP’s H Raja over ‘Mersal’ piracy

Vishal released a statement denouncing H Raja’s ‘support’ of piracy and asks him whether he has any shame in admitting publicly of his support for piracy. 

Tamil Nadu Producers Council president and actor Vishal’s office was raided today by the Income Tax  (I-T) Department, the actor told the media. He told TV channels that he had been engaged in a shoot and wasn’t in office when the officials arrived to check documents regarding TDS (tax deducted at source).

Earlier it was reported that the raids were conducted by a Goods and Service Tax Intelligence (GSTI) team, but GSTI Chennai zonal office put out a statement denying they had any role in the raids. 

The I-T raids came just a day after the actor had slammed BJP leader H Raja for watching a pirated version of the newly released Vijay starrer, ‘Mersal’.

The raids were conducted at 2 pm today at the premises of Vishal’s film production unit – Vishal Film Factory – in Vadapalani, Chennai, reported The News Minute.

Speaking to TV channels on Monday evening, actor Vishal said the I-T department had visited his office regarding a TDS clarification, which was most likely “just an assessment”. “I am an honest taxpayer employed in an honest profession,” he said.

At the time, there wasn’t anybody in the office as they were busy with the shooting of his upcoming film ‘Sandakozhi 2’.

I-T raids were conducted at actor Vishal’s Vadapalani office on Monday in Chennai. (Express Photo Service | P Jawahar)

The actor clarified, “I did not speak ‘against’ BJP leader H Raja. I merely expressed my pain over the shocking fact that a national leader is supporting piracy, which he himself revealed in a TV interview.”

Asked by TV reporters if he thought there was a political motive behind the raids — whether they were in response to his criticism of Raja watching a pirated version of Mersal, Vishal said he would be ready to face the consequences even it were the case.

According to a tweet by Sathiyam TV, the actor has been summoned to the I-T office on Friday, October 27, in relation to the TDS clarification.

Vishal is the president of Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and general secretary of the South Indian Artistes’ Association.

GSTI did not raid Vishal Film Factory

Initial media reports had suggested that it was a Goods and Service Tax Intelligence (GSTI) team which carried out the raids. The Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI) on Monday evening denied those media reports: “It is to clarify that the officers of DGGSTI have not conducted any such search operations and the news which is being circulated is factually incorrect and false,” Joint Director of DGGSTI P V K Rajasekhar said in a press release here.

Clarification on reports by some news agencies that DGSTI conducted search on premises of Sh. Vishal, President TN Film Producers Council. pic.twitter.com/KGH3K34rjG

— CBEC (@CBEC_India) October 23, 2017

The GSTIA was formed with the aim to prevent evasion of the Goods and Services Tax.

READ HERE | ‘Mersal’ producer says no scenes cut or muted, acknowledges BJP’s objections: Here’s all you need to know about the ‘Mersal’ row 

Vishal had on Sunday released a statement denouncing H Raja’s ‘support’ of piracy and asks him whether he has any shame in admitting publicly of his support for piracy.

While speaking to Tamil channel Puthiya Thalamurai, party spokesperson and national secretary of the Bhartiya Janata Party mentioned that he saw Vijay’s ‘Mersal’ – on the ‘net’.

When the interviewer went on to confirm whether he actually watched a newly released film online, H Raja clarified that he couldn’t watch the whole film but just some particular scenes because – “he got calls in between”. He was watching it on his mobile phone.

(With agency inputs)

Source: The New Indian Express