A raging issue among fans over the past three days, Justice S.M. Subramaniam of the Madras High Court had on Tuesday fined actor Vijay Rs. 1 lakh and ordered him to pay the sum towards the Tamil Nadu COVID-19 relief fund. The issue regarding Vijay's Rolls Royce Ghost car's entry tax for which he had filed a petition nine years back when he purchased the luxury vehicle has since the judgment blown out of proportion on social media, with many stating that the superstar's appeal had been misinterpreted. Fans of the superstar soon after went on to share the receipts showing the actor having paid his full lifetime tax, including producing up-to-date necessary documents. 

Now, Vijay has decided to file an appeal against the High Court's judgment, the actor's lawyer S. Kumaresan told a leading Tamil news channel. In his statement, the advocate informed that the issue is not about tax evasion, as on the said date the court had told the actor's associates to not make the payment, but the government's representatives instead informed them to pay the sum. Since there was no proper clarity on whether the tax is to be paid or not, they had approached the court for the registration, Vijay's lawyer had told. He also stated that the court had asked him to register for 20% of the payment, which had been obliged and the judgment has come only now. The legal advisor further pointed out that they are filing an appeal against some of the points in the order as there is a lot of talk going around that the issue is about tax evasion and is affecting Vijay's name. 

Earlier in the order, the judge had come down on Vijay saying, "In the State of Tamil Nadu, cine heroes have risen as rulers of the State and therefore, the people are under the impression that they are real heroes. Thus, they are not expected to behave like reel heroes. Tax evasion is to be construed as an anti-national habit, attitude and mindset and unconstitutional. These actors portray themselves as champions of social justice. Their movies are against corrupt activities in the society. But, they are evading tax and acting in a manner which is not in consonance with the provisions of the Statutes." Soon after the judgment, Vijay's fans pointed out that the actor's request for tax exemption had been misinterpreted, while also giving the reference of Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar seeking the same for his Ferrari car, which was granted.