‘More than Rs 100 crore not disclosed’: Madras High Court points out ‘irregularities’ in Vijay’s poll affidavit

New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Vijay, who made his political debut leading TVK in the Tamil Nadu elections, suffered a setback. madras high court admitted on Monday a request for an income tax investigation into his asset declarations.While hearing the case, the court orally found a discrepancy of over Rs 100 crore in the affidavit and issued notice in the case.“This is an irregularity. More than Rs 100 crore has not been disclosed,” the court said orally, per LiveLaw.A notice was issued to Vijay by Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan and the Director of Income Tax (Investigation), election commission of india (ECI) and the Election Officer of Perambur and Tiruchirappalli (East) constituencies.The petitioners claim that the disappearance of high-value assets constitutes a clear case of asset suppression, raising serious concerns about beneficial ownership, the flow of funds and the concealment of material details. It was further argued that such discrepancies between the statements cannot be attributed to clerical errors or approximations. According to the plea, the only reasonable inference is that one of the affidavits is false or that the corresponding corporate document is inaccurate, and that both circumstances require a thorough investigation.If such a breach is ultimately established, the consequences could be dire. Any substantiated concealment or false statement in an election affidavit may result in criminal prosecution under applicable law, may result in fines or imprisonment, and may also result in disqualification from contesting under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. In addition, discrepancies involving undisclosed assets may trigger action by income tax authorities, including penalties and possible prosecution for tax violations.