Popular filmmaker S Shankar has finally reacted to Directorate of Enforcement (ED)’s decision to provisionally attach three immovable properties belonging to him. The assets, worth Rs 10.11 crore, were seized by government officials on February 17 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He has now issued an official statement and expressed his disappointment on this incident.
According to IANS, the director said in his statement, “I wish to bring to public attention a recent action taken by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office, in which they have provisionally attached three immovable properties of mine, based on baseless plagiarism allegations related to the film Enthiran (Robot).”
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He added, “It is crucial to highlight that the matter concerning these allegations was already thoroughly adjudicated by the Hon'ble High Court in Civil Suit No. 914/2010. The Court carefully examined the evidence and arguments from both sides, dismissing the claim filed by Aarur Tamil Nadan, which sought to declare him as the rightful copyright holder of the Enthiran story,” Shankar pointed out and claimed that despite this clear judicial resolution, the Enforcement Directorate had proceeded with the attachment of his properties, relying on an independent report from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and ignoring the binding judgment of the High Court in C.S.No.914/2010.”
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Given these facts, I am deeply disheartened by the continued action of the ED, despite a clear legal ruling from the Civil Court, which categorically stated that no copyright violation took place. This overreach represents a blatant abuse of the legal process. I trust the authorities will review their actions and cease further proceedings in this matter. Should they fail to do so, I will have no choice but to appeal against the attachment order," he concluded.
On the work front, S Shankar recently directed Game Changer but the movie became a flop.