₹200 Crore Money Laundering Case: ED Seeks Time To Respond To Jacqueline Fernandez’s Plea To Turn Approver
Jacqueline Fernandez during court proceedings in Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to Sukesh Chandrasekhar
A Delhi court on Monday granted time to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response to a plea moved by actor Jacqueline Fernandez seeking to turn approver in the ₹200 crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.
ASJ Prashant Sharma of Patiala House Court adjourned the matter for further proceedings to May 8, after the agency sought additional time to respond to the application.
Fernandez, who was repeatedly summoned by the ED during the course of investigation, was named as an accused for the first time in a supplementary chargesheet filed by the agency. She is currently seeking to be treated as an approver in the case, a move that could potentially alter her position from an accused to a prosecution witness.
The case stems from allegations that Chandrasekhar orchestrated a ₹200 crore fraud involving high-profile individuals, including the spouses of former Ranbaxy promoters. The Delhi Police had registered the case, accusing Chandrasekhar of duping Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh’s family members.
Chandrasekhar and his wife, Leena Paulose, were subsequently arrested along with others. Investigators have alleged that the accused used hawala channels and created shell companies to launder proceeds of crime. The police also invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the case, citing the organised nature of the alleged offences.
The legal battle has already seen multiple rounds of litigation. On July 3 last year, the Delhi High Court dismissed Fernandez’s plea seeking quashing of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), holding that her apprehensions regarding self-incrimination could not justify quashing proceedings at the threshold.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court of India declined to interfere with the High Court’s decision, granting her liberty to raise all permissible grounds at an appropriate stage.
Notably, on April 17, the Court had issued notice on a plea filed by the Bollywood actor seeking to turn approver in the ₹200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Fernandez has been summoned multiple times during the investigation and was named as a co-accused for the first time in a supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED. She has been arrayed as the tenth accused in the case.
In her present application, Fernandez has contended that the evidence collected by the ED demonstrates that she is an “innocent victim” of what she describes as a “maliciously targeted attack” orchestrated by Chandrasekhar. She has pointed out that, according to the agency’s own case, Chandrasekhar operated from inside Tihar Jail with alleged assistance from jail officials, gaining unrestricted access to communication devices to defraud multiple individuals, including film personalities.
Fernandez has further argued that she was misled into believing that Chandrasekhar was a legitimate and influential businessman who was being politically targeted. She has also relied on the ED’s stance in the predicate offence, where she was cited as a prosecution witness, to contend that the continuation of proceedings against her is legally untenable.
In a related news, a Delhi court has recently granted bail to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar in a money laundering case, holding that prolonged incarceration without progress in trial violates the fundamental right to personal liberty and speedy trial under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Notably, the Rouse Avenue Court, in August 2024 had granted bail to Sukesh Chandrashekhar citing "any interpretation which defeats the pre-eminence of bail over jail should be avoided”.
Sukesh Chandrashekar, facing 34 criminal cases, was accused of orchestrating an INR 215 crore heist while being imprisoned by deceiving Shivinder Mohan Singh of Ranbaxy. The Supreme Court ordered his transfer from Tihar Jail to Mandoli Jail, following his plea citing threats to his life. Chandrashekar's lawyer claimed extortion in jail, while ASG SV Raju noted that the accused was unable to continue his criminal activities due to the transfer of supportive officials.
Bench: Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Prashant Sharma
Hearing Date: April 20, 2026