Rolls Royce Case: HC to Hear Vijay's Appeal Against Judge's Reel Hero Remark

A single-judge had earlier fined Vijay 1 lac and asked him to pay the tax for his imported Rolls Royce Ghost.

The Madras High Court division bench will reportedly hear a plea made by Tamil actor Joseph Vijay regarding the order passed by single-judge Justice SM Subramaniam, which dismissed his earlier plea challenging the entry tax on his imported Rolls Royce Ghost.

Justice S.M. Subramaniam of the High Court had fined Vijay for 1 lac to be given to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (TNCMPRF) and directed that he send the complete tax demanded for his luxury car.

Vijay's application was put before Justice MM Sundresh and RN Manjula. His writ appeal will be numbered and listed for hearing after the Bench dispenses with the production of the certified copy. The rules dictate that any appeal filed before a Division Bench must also have a certified copy of the order passed by the judge.

If a certified copy is unavailable, the appellants may obtain the court's permission to file an available web copy instead or they must prefer a dispense with application.

The writ petition filed by Vijay, which was dismissed by Justice Subramaniam, had been pending for nine years. The judge also criticised the actor for filing the petition to "avoid" paying the tax. The judge also observed that actors who portray themselves as 'champions of social justice' in movies were evading tax collection in real life.

"People are under the impression that they are the real heroes. Thus, they are not expected to behave like reel heroes. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional," the judge had said.

The entry tax on the luxury vehicle falls under the Tamil Nadu Tax on Entry of Motor Vehicles to Local Areas Act of 1990.