A day following the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) attachment of three immovable assets valued at ₹10 crore belonging to director Shankar in connection with a plagiarism case related to his 2010 film Enthiran, he issued a response. The director, known for his collaboration with Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai, stated that the ED has not reached out to him concerning the case, which he asserts has already been dismissed by the Chennai High Court.

Shankar’s statement

Shankar articulated in his statement that the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) action of provisionally attaching his properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) constituted a 'misuse of the legal process.' He expressed, “I wish to draw public attention to a recent action undertaken by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office, which has provisionally attached three of my immovable properties based on unfounded plagiarism allegations concerning the film Enthiran (Robot). To date, I have received no communication from the Enforcement Directorate regarding this attachment, yet the news has been extensively disseminated in the media. This action not only misrepresents the legal facts but also exemplifies a clear misuse of the legal process.”

He further noted that the High Court had previously dismissed claims asserting that Enthiran was a copy of Aarur Tamilnadan’s Jiguba, stating, “It is essential to emphasize that the allegations in question were already thoroughly examined by the Hon'ble High Court in Civil Suit No. 914/2010. The Court meticulously reviewed the evidence and arguments presented by both parties, ultimately dismissing the claim made by Aarur Tamil Nadan, who sought to establish himself as the rightful copyright holder of the Enthiran narrative."

Shankar continued, "In light of this definitive judicial resolution, the Enforcement Directorate has moved forward with the attachment of my properties, basing their actions on an independent report from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), while disregarding the binding judgment of the Hon'ble High Court in C.S.No.914/2010.”

He also mentioned that the complaint referenced by the ED has already been stayed by the High Court ‘in the order passed in Crl.MP.No.13914/23 in Crl.Op.No.20452/23.’ Shankar expressed his feelings of being ‘disheartened’ by the situation, hoping for justice to prevail, “In light of these circumstances, I am profoundly disheartened by the ongoing actions of the ED, despite a clear legal ruling from the Civil Court, which unequivocally stated that no copyright infringement occurred. This overreach signifies a blatant abuse of the legal process.”

What happened

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the media that Shankar, who is currently facing allegations of plagiarism and copyright infringement, has had assets exceeding ₹10 crore seized under the anti-money laundering legislation. According to officials, this may represent the first instance in India where assets have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) due to plagiarism or copyright infringement related to film production, as reported by PTI.

The ED released a statement indicating that a provisional order was issued on February 17 under the PMLA, resulting in the attachment of three immovable properties belonging to the director, S. Shankar. The cumulative value of these properties amounts to ₹10.11 crore. This money laundering case originated from a complaint lodged by Aarur, the author of a story titled Jiguba, against Shankar in a court located in Egmore, Chennai, on May 19, 2011.

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