Jacqueline Fernandez Suffers Legal Setback in ₹200 Crore Money Laundering Case

Delhi High Court Rejects Jacqueline Fernandez’s Plea in ₹200 Crore Money Laundering Case.

Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez suffered a legal blow on Thursday as the Delhi High Court dismissed her petition seeking to quash criminal proceedings against her in a ₹200 crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

Justice Anish Dayal rejected Fernandez’s plea to cancel the proceedings and the second supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The verdict comes after the court reserved its order in April, following extensive arguments from both sides.

Actress Denies Wrongdoing
Fernandez’s counsel argued that she was unaware that the expensive gifts she received from Sukesh Chandrasekhar were part of the proceeds of crime. Her legal team maintained that she never knowingly participated in any money laundering activity.

“I only received gifts. There’s no evidence to show I knew they were connected to crime,” her lawyer told the court, emphasizing that the ED had never alleged she had prior knowledge of Sukesh’s illegal activities.

The defense also stated that she was misled by Pinky Irani, who introduced Sukesh as someone with strong political connections and claimed he was being framed.

ED Counters Quashing Plea
The ED opposed her petition, arguing that the plea was legally untenable because the trial court had already taken cognisance of the chargesheet. The agency pointed out that Fernandez had not challenged that order, making her quashing plea inappropriate at this stage.

The ED further claimed that Fernandez accepted luxury gifts from Chandrasekhar despite media reports about his criminal background. Her counsel, however, argued that newspaper articles cannot be treated as legal evidence and said the actress only came across those reports in 2019—well after the alleged transactions began.

The Larger Case
Sukesh Chandrasekhar is accused of defrauding the spouses of former Ranbaxy promoters of ₹200 crore. According to the ED, the money was laundered through hawala networks and shell companies, with gifts distributed to several individuals.

The agency alleges that Fernandez benefited from the crime, though it has not directly stated that she was aware of its origin. The court’s decision means proceedings in the trial court will now continue.

The Kolkata-born actress, who has appeared in several high-profile Hindi films, has been under the ED’s scanner since 2021 and remains a key figure in the ongoing investigation.