2 months ago
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The Madras High Court connected Monday (April 6, 2026) quashed the transgression prosecution launched by the Income Tax (I-T) section against movie producer, director, and histrion Gautham Vasudev Menon for the alleged nonaccomplishment connected the portion of movie accumulation and organisation firm, Photon Kathas Production Private Limited of Chennai, to record its I-T returns for the appraisal twelvemonth 2013-14.
Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan allowed Mr. Menon’s quash petition pending since 2023. Making it wide that the prosecution was being quashed lone against the petitioner since helium had resigned from the station of manager of the movie accumulation institution arsenic aboriginal arsenic May 2, 2011, the justice ordered that the prosecution against the different directors of the institution shall proceed.
He besides directed an Additional District Court dealing with economical offence cases astatine Egmore successful Chennai to implicit the proceedings successful the lawsuit wrong 3 months. The petitioner’s counsel Revathi Manivannan brought to the announcement of the tribunal that Photon Kathas was engaged successful the concern of accumulation and organisation of diagnostic films and that it had aggregate directors.
The I-T section had initiated the prosecution against the institution nether Section 276C (wilful effort to evade tax) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Apart from the company, the prosecution had been launched against S. Venkatramanan, Mr. Menon, T.S.T. Ramanujam, and Reshma Ghatala too, by identifying them arsenic the directors who were liable for the non-filing of the I-T returns.
Ms. Manivannan told the tribunal Mr. Menon was inducted arsenic a manager of the movie accumulation institution connected June 1, 2010, and helium resigned from the station connected May 2, 2011. She besides produced a transcript of Form 32 filed earlier the Registrar of Companies to pass the serviceman astir the resignation of the manager and contended that the petitioner was not a manager of the institution astatine the applicable constituent of time.
The tribunal was told that prosecution had been launched for the non-filing of returns for the appraisal twelvemonth 2013-14, which was related to the fiscal twelvemonth 2012-13. “The fiscal twelvemonth begins from April 1, 2012, but the petitioner had resigned from the institution successful May 2011 itself,” the counsel said and urged the tribunal to quash each further proceedings against him.
After perusing the records, including Form 32, the justice was convinced that the prosecution against Mr. Menon could not beryllium allowed to continue.
