Director Shankar BREAKS SILENCE on ED attaching Rs 10 crore assets to Enthiran plagiarism case: 'Deeply disheartened by...'

Breaking his silence on the Directorate of Enforcement (ED)’s decision to provisionally attach three immovable properties registered in his name, ace Tamil film director Shankar on Friday said that he was “deeply disheartened” by the continued action of the ED despite a clear legal ruling which categorically stated that no copyright violation had taken place.

The ace director, who is known for delivering a number of superhits and blockbusters, in his statement said, “ 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).”

Stating that to date, there was no communication from the Enforcement Directorate regarding the attachment, Shankar however claimed that the attachment was widely circulated in the media. “This action not only misinterprets legal facts but also represents a clear misuse of the legal process,” he alleged.

“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.

He also pointed out that the private complaint referred to by the Enforcement Directorate had already been stayed by the High Court of Chennai in an order passed in Crl.MP.No.13914/23 in Crl.Op.No.20452/23.

“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,” Shankar said.

The director concluded by saying, “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.”

On Thursday, the ED attached properties, valued at approximately Rs 10.11 crore, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

(Except for the headline, the copy is not edited by DNA staff, and is published from IANS)