New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea to quash a money laundering case linked to the over ₹200 crore extortion case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Fernandez is accused of receiving gifts purchased with alleged proceeds of crime.
A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih stated, “The petition is dismissed with liberty to raise the matter at an appropriate stage.” The court also directed the trial court to consider Fernandez’s objections afresh at the stage of framing charges, without being influenced by the Delhi High Court’s July 3 order that had dismissed her plea.
Actress’s Defense
Fernandez, represented by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Agarwal, argued that she had never solicited gifts from Chandrashekhar and had met him only because she was a film star. “To say that I helped him launder the ₹200 crore is not made out, as I am not even named in the predicate offence of extortion on which the ED has begun a probe,” her counsel stated.
The bench observed that the allegation involves her receiving part of the ₹200 crore as gifts, emphasizing that such allegations must be accepted as true until disproved at the stage of framing charges.
Background of the Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) named Fernandez as an accused in its supplementary prosecution complaint in August 2022, though she was not listed in the original Delhi Police extortion case. The complaint stemmed from a case filed by the wife of former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh, who was allegedly conned by Chandrashekhar into paying ₹215 crore under the pretense of securing her husband’s release on bail.
Fernandez reportedly possessed gifts worth over ₹7 crore allegedly bought from the proceeds of the crime. In her plea, she argued that there was no admissible evidence showing she had positive knowledge that the gifts were derived from criminal activity.
The Delhi High Court had earlier refused to quash the case, noting that conclusivity can only be determined during trial, and granting Fernandez’s plea at this stage would disrupt the criminal justice process.