Rajinikanth Moves Court Against Property Tax Demand on Wedding Hall Closed Due to Lockdown
Actor Rajinikanth has moved the Madras High Court against a property tax demand of Rs 6.5 lakh over a wedding hall — Raghavendra Mandapam – that he owns in Chennai. As the property has been closed since March 24 this year in view of the coronavirus lockdown, the actor has argued that he is eligible for vacancy remission on property tax.
The case is listed for hearing before the Madras High Court on Wednesday.
Rajinikanth said he had written to the city corporation after receiving the tax demand but didn’t receive a reply. In the writ petition filed by the actor, it is stated that there has been a tax demand for the period between April and September this year, the period during which he had not conducted any business at the hall.
“It is submitted that Sec 105(1) of the Chennai Municipal Corporation Act 1919, states that any building whether ordinarily let or occupied by the owner himself has been vacant and unlet for thirty or more consecutive days in any half-year, the commissioner shall remit so much, not exceeding one half of such portion of the tax as relates to the building only as if proportionate to the number of days during which building was vacant and unlet in the half year…”
The actor has therefore sought an interim injunction restraining respondents, the Chennai City Commissioner and the revenue officer, from proceeding with executing a two per cent penalty on the property tax before his notice has been adjudicated upon. It is to be noted that the penalty is expected to be paid before October 15, hence the court action, according to the petition.
Rajinikanth is all set to launch his political party formally. Expectations are sky-high that he would make the announcement before the end of the current year. The actor had previously had a run-in with the tax department over income disclosures, which had come to a close shortly after.