The Supreme Court on Monday turned down actor Jacqueline Fernandez’s petition to dismiss the ₹215-crore money laundering case registered against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih rejected Fernandez’s application, while allowing her the option to seek relief from the court at a later, suitable point in the legal process.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Fernandez, contended that the prosecution’s stance boiled down to the idea that she ought to have been more vigilant in accepting gifts from Chandrashekhar.
Justice Datta pointed out that, for now, the court must accept the allegations as presented. He emphasised that although no evidence has been established yet, the accusations cannot be thrown out prior to a full 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, adding that the court was bound by precedent.
He further underlined that this was not a case of gifts being received "unknowingly". The actor had escalated the matter to the apex court following the Delhi High Court’s decision on July 3 to reject a comparable plea from Fernandez, ruling that any assessment of her potential criminal involvement could only occur at trial.
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Fernandez, who has categorically denied all allegations, maintains that she had no knowledge of Sukesh's criminal background.
The ED, however, named her as a co-accused in its chargesheet filed in August 2022. It alleged that she accepted luxury gifts like jewellery, clothes and vehicles worth more than ₹7 crore from Sukesh despite knowing about his involvement in criminal activities.
Also Read: Delhi HC denies Sukesh's plea to avoid prison transfer
The probe agency also claimed Fernandez deleted data from her phone after the conman's arrest and initially concealed details of her financial dealings with him before admitting them when confronted with evidence.
Sukesh, who is lodged in Delhi's Mandoli jail, is accused of running a ₹215-crore fraud targeting high-profile individuals through impersonation and deceit.
Also Read: Jacqueline Fernandez moves SC in Rs 215-cr ED case
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