The Kerala High Court has directed actor Amala Paul to appear before the Crime Branch on January 15, 2018. This is in connection with the case against the actor for the alleged tax evasion pertaining to her luxury car.
The HC issued directions while considering Amala’s appeal for anticipatory bail which the actor filed on December 21, 2017.
The court has permitted the Crime Branch to question the actor on January 15 between 10am and 1pm. The actor’s appeal for anticipatory bail will be considered by the court after 10 days.
The Kerala Crime Branch had summoned Amala on December 19th, 2017, but she failed to appear citing a packed shooting schedule. Thereafter, the Crime Branch, which planned to issue another summons, submitted a report to the government counsel on the case on January 5th, 2018.
The government counsel had then decided to ask the High Court not to grant bail to the actor.
In November 2017, an FIR was registered against the actor for allegedly forging documents to register her luxury car in Puducherry to evade tax. The case was registered by the Thiruvananthapuram unit of the Crime Branch on the basis of the complaint filed by the transport commissionerate.
Amala Paul had bought her S class Benz worth Rs 1.12 cr on August 4 last year. The vehicle was registered in Puducherry, for which Amala had paid only Rs 1.75 lakh as tax, saving nearly Rs 20 lakh. It was found during the investigation that the address given by Amala Paul was occupied by an engineering student, who was unaware that a vehicle was registered under his name.
Following media reports of the allegations of tax evasion, Amala Paul had in November issued a statement saying, “I feel I have the right to speak against these unwanted speculations and harassment caused to me and my family, despite paying taxes of more than a crore this year alone. And especially now, even when the respective authorities have found no unlawful act on my part.”
She added, “I am an Indian citizen and assumed that I have every right to work and own any asset throughout our nation freely.”
Earlier actor Fahadh Faasil and actor turned MP Suresh Gopi were also summoned by the Crime Branch in connection with tax evasion.