Delhi High Court Rejects Jacqueline Fernandez's Plea in Money Laundering Case

Court Decision on Jacqueline Fernandez's Petition

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition filed by Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who sought to invalidate a money laundering case involving Rs 200 crore linked to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

Fernandez had approached the court to challenge the Enforcement Directorate's case against her, which included a supplementary chargesheet identifying her as the tenth accused.

In her application, she asserted that she was a victim of a targeted attack by Chandrasekhar.

The plea emphasized that there was no evidence suggesting her involvement in facilitating the laundering of his allegedly illicit wealth, as reported by a legal news outlet.

It further argued that she should not face prosecution for the alleged money laundering.

Additionally, Fernandez's petition pointed out that the Enforcement Directorate had recognized that officials at Tihar Jail provided Chandrasekhar with unrestricted access to mobile devices and other technology, which he misused to deceive the original complainant and various film personalities, including her.

The plea contended that since the agency had already recorded her statement as a witness in the original fraud case, pursuing the money laundering case against her was unwarranted.

In the ongoing money laundering investigation, Chandrasekhar is accused of extorting approximately Rs 215 crore from Shivinder Singh, a former promoter of the pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy, and his spouse Aditi Singh. He allegedly impersonated high-ranking officials while communicating with them.

Chandrasekhar was apprehended by the Delhi Police on August 7, 2022.

The Enforcement Directorate is also probing claims that Chandrasekhar utilized funds obtained through fraud and extortion to purchase gifts for Fernandez. The actress was named in a supplementary chargesheet related to this case.

The supplementary chargesheet alleged that Chandrasekhar gifted Fernandez items worth Rs 5.71 crore, derived from criminal activities, including extortion. The agency also suggested that Fernandez was aware that the gifts were proceeds of crime.