New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant any relief to actress Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with the Rs 200 crore fraud case involving conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, dismissing her petition challenging the proceedings.
Fernandez had approached the apex court after the Delhi High Court, on July 3, rejected her plea to quash the FIR filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case.
She had argued that the evidence presented by the ED indicated that she was a victim of Sukesh’s targeted schemes.
The actress also highlighted in her petition that Tihar jail officials allegedly provided Sukesh access to mobile phones and other electronic devices, which were allegedly used to defraud the complainant and several members of the film fraternity, including Fernandez.
Her plea further noted that she is a prosecution witness in the predicate offence, and therefore, any further proceedings against her should be reconsidered.
However, the Delhi High Court had maintained that determining whether Fernandez had committed a crime could only be done during the trial at the lower court.
Fernandez had also contended that all allegations against her were baseless and that she was unaware of Sukesh’s criminal background.
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The ED has accused the actress of receiving luxury gifts worth approximately Rs 7 crore from Sukesh, an allegation Fernandez has consistently denied, asserting she had no knowledge of his criminal activities.
Previous attempts to quash the case in the Delhi High Court were similarly dismissed, with the court stating that questions regarding her intent and awareness of the alleged crimes must be examined during trial.
Sukesh Chandrasekhar was booked by the Delhi Police for allegedly defrauding the spouses of former Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of Rs 200 crore.
