'Experience is a lesson': Rajinikanth settles issue with civic body; pays property tax

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday admitted as “mistake” his knocking at the Madras High Court challenging civic body’s demand for Rs 6.5 lakh in property taxes with respect to a marriage hall owned by him.

He also settled the row by paying Rs 6.50 lakh through a cheque, hours before the deadline was to end. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) confirmed that Rajinikanth has made the payment towards property tax by sharing a copy of the receipt.

“The issue of Raghavendra Mandapam property tax… We should have appealed to the Corporation…Could have avoided the mistake…Experience is lesson,” Rajinikanth wrote on his Twitter page on Thursday morning.

Read: Madras High Court dismisses Rajinikanth's plea against tax demand

His comments after the court had on Wednesday dismissed as withdrawn a writ petition filed by him challenging civic body’s demand for Rs 6.5 lakh in property taxes with respect to Raghavendra Mandapam owned by him.

Justice Anita Sumanth warned Rajinikanth’s counsel, Vijayan Subramanian, that she would impose costs for rushing to the court without waiting for a reply from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on the issue.

She also pulled up the counsel for wasting the court’s time and suggested that the plea be withdrawn. A few hours later, Rajinikanth’s counsel submitted a memo seeking to withdraw the case after which Justice Anita Sumanth dismissed the petition.

The actor had contented that since the marriage hall was vacant since March 24, the day Covid-19 lockdown came into force in Tamil Nadu, he was eligible for remission of property tax. And he approached the court since there was no response from the civic body to a representation, he sent seeking remission on September 23.

According to the GCC, property tax is collected twice every year – in April and October – and the same should be paid by 15th of the month.