The Madras High Court has granted interim relief to renowned filmmaker S. Shankar by staying the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) proceedings that provisionally attached his assets worth over ₹10 crore.
A division bench comprising Justice M.S. Ramesh and Justice N. Senthilkumar heard Shankar’s petition challenging the Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR), which led to the attachment of his properties amounting to ₹10.11 crore. The director sought to quash the proceedings initiated by the ED.
Senior advocate P.S. Raman, representing Shankar, argued that the ED’s action was unjustified, as the High Court had already put a stay on the criminal case linked to this matter. Acknowledging the arguments, the bench issued an interim stay on the ED’s proceedings and directed the agency to respond by April 21 before adjourning the case.
The dispute stems from a complaint filed by Tamil writer Aarur Tamilnandan, who accused Shankar of plagiarizing his story to make the blockbuster film Enthiran, starring Rajinikanth. Following this, Tamilnandan initiated both criminal and civil proceedings against the director.
Shankar had earlier approached the High Court, requesting the quashing of the private complaint lodged by Tamilnandan in the Egmore Magistrate Court. The High Court, after reviewing the case, had stayed all related proceedings in the magistrate court.
Despite this stay, on February 11, the ED issued a provisional attachment order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), seizing Shankar’s properties based on Tamilnandan’s complaint. With the latest interim injunction, the proceedings have now been put on hold until further deliberation.