Weeks after Joseph Vijay became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the petition that sought registration of an FIR and initiation of proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay over allegations of suppression of income was permitted to be withdrawn by Madras High Court, as reported in DT Next.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea and dismissed the matter as withdrawn.
The petition was filed by M. Rajkumar of Kodungaiyur, who sought directions to the Income Tax Department to examine materials collected during a search conducted at Vijay’s residence, assessment records and the penalty order passed by the Department, and to initiate prosecution proceedings under the Income Tax Act.
According to the petitioner, the Income Tax Department had conducted a search at Vijay’s residence in 2015 during which it allegedly found that remuneration amounting to Rs 15 crore received by him for the film Puli had not been disclosed in his accounts.
The petitioner stated that the Income Tax Department subsequently imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore in connection with the alleged non-disclosure of income.
Vijay had challenged the penalty order before the Madras High Court. However, the High Court dismissed his petition challenging the penalty on 5 February 2026.
Referring to these developments, the petitioner sought directions for criminal action against Vijay under the Income Tax Act based on the materials gathered during the search and assessment proceedings.
The plea also sought a direction to register an FIR against Vijay for alleged offences including cheating and criminal conspiracy in connection with the alleged suppression of income.
In addition, the petitioner requested the court to direct that materials collected during the Income Tax proceedings be forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate for examination of whether a prima facie case existed for action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, 2 June 2026, the Division Bench permitted the petitioner to withdraw the plea.
Consequently, the court dismissed the petition as withdrawn.
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