Shankar ‘deeply disheartened’ by ED attaching ₹10 crore assets to Enthiran plagiarism case: ‘HC already dismissed this’

Director Shankar has responded to the Enforcement Directorate's action in the Enthiran plagiarism case. Here's what he said.

A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached director Shankar’s three immovable assets worth ₹10 crore to a plagiarism case involving his 2010 film Enthiran, he responded. The director of the Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai-starrer released a statement claiming that the ED has not communicated with him regarding the case, which he claims was already dismissed by the Chennai High Court. (Also Read: ED attaches director Shankar's assets worth over ₹10 crore under PMLA in Enthiran plagiarism case)

Aishwarya Rai and Rajinikanth in Shankar's 2010 film Enthiran.

Shankar’s statement

Shankar wrote in his statement that the action of ED attaching his properties under PMLA to the case was ‘misuse of the legal process’. He wrote, “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). Till date, there is no communication from the Enforcement Directorate regarding the attachment, but the attachment was widely circulated in Media. This action not only misinterprets the legal facts but also represents a clear misuse of the legal process.”

He then pointed out that the HC had already dismissed claims of Enthiran being a copy of Aarur Tamilnadan’s Jiguba, “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 further wrote, "Despite this clear judicial resolution, the Enforcement Directorate has proceeded with the attachment of my properties, relying on an independent report from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and ignoring the binding judgment of the Hon'ble High Court in C.S.No.914/2010.”

He also stated that the complaint referred to by the ED has already been stayed by the HC ‘in the order passed in Crl.MP.No.13914/23 in Crl.Op.No.20452/23.’ Shankar then claimed to be ‘disheartened’ by it all, hoping justice will prevail, “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.”

He also stated that should the ED proceed with the matter, he will have to appeal against it, “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. Attachment: Judgment passed in C.S.No.914/2010 dated 15.06.2023.”

What happened

On Thursday, the ED told the press that Shankar, facing charges of plagiarism and copyright violations, has assets worth more than ₹10 crore attached under the anti-money laundering law. As per officials, this is possibly the first attachment of assets in the country under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on grounds of plagiarism or copyright violation while making a movie, reported PTI.

The ED said in a statement that a provisional order was issued on February 17 under the PMLA, attaching three immovable properties of the director, S Shankar. The total value of these assets is ₹10.11 crore. The money laundering case stems from a complaint filed by Aarur, author of a story titled Jiguba, against Shankar before a court at Egmore in Chennai on May 19, 2011.