The plagiarism case over Sarkar's story, filed against A.R. Murugadoss by Varun Rajendran, came up for hearing today at the Madras High Court. It was adjourned as both parties opted for a compromise. When the proceedings resumed, it was announced that the case has been settled out of court.

Hours later, Murugadoss issued a statement, stating that he conceived the concept of the story originally and congratulated Varun for having similar thoughts (earlier than him).

Here is the complete statement of Murugadoss:

"Bogus voting denies the fundamental right of voters to cast their vote and it's a dangerous crime that affects the welfare of the country. I imagined that a movie could be made with the theme where a hero's vote is criminally cast by someone else and he decides to fight the injustice. He goes about creating awareness among the masses.

After discussing this idea for months, I wrote the story of 'Sarkar'.

I came to know that a co-director named Varun Rajendran (B.Sc. D.F.Tech) had also imagined a story with the same theme and registered his script with South Indian Film Writers' Association. I am recording this statement to praise the upcoming talent for thinking up the story. I hereby convey my heartfelt thanks to our SIFWA for identifying this talented colleague."