SC rejects Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea seeking cancellation of money laundering case
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "SC rejects Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea seeking cancellation of money laundering case")
Jacqueline Fernandez Photograph: (X)
Jacqueline Fernandez has been accused of being involved in a Rs 2 billion money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The actress had sought a cancellation of the case at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court rejected Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea seeking a cancellation of the Rs 215 crore (Rs 2 billion approx) money laundering case filed against her. The case was filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih dismissed Fernandez’s petition on Monday, but granted her liberty to approach the court at an appropriate stage of the proceedings.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Fernandez, argued that the prosecution’s case was essentially that she should have exercised more caution while accepting gifts from Chandrashekhar.
Justice Datta observed that, at this stage, the allegations must be taken at face value. He noted that while nothing has yet been proved, the charges cannot be dismissed before trial.
"If one friend gives something to another and it later turns out the giver is involved in an offence, it becomes difficult," he remarked. However, he also underlined that Jacqueline’s case was not a case of gifts being received "unknowingly".
Plea rejected earlier
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Jacqueline Fernandez approached the top court after the Delhi High Court had thrown out a similar petition by the actress. On July 3, the Delhi High Court had stated that the determination on whether she had actually committed any crime would only be made during trial. Fernandez, who has categorically denied all allegations, maintains that she did not know Sukesh's criminal background.
Jacqueline has been named as a co-accused by ED in its chargesheet filed in August 2022. It is alleged that she accepted luxury gifts like jewellery, clothes, and vehicles worth millions from Sukesh despite knowing about his involvement in criminal activities. ED also alleged that she had deleted the date from her phone after the conman’s arrest and initially had not disclosed details of her financial dealings with him.
Sukesh, who is lodged in Delhi's Mandoli jail, is accused of running a Rs 215-crore fraud targeting high-profile individuals through impersonation and deceit. Sukesh and Jacqueline were allegedly in a relationship, which the actress has denied.
