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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought reply of the Directorate of Enforcement(ED) on Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez's plea seeking direction for quashing the FIR lodged against her in the ED's Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

The bench of Justice Jyoti Singh sought the ED's response in the matter and scheduled it to be heard on January 29, 2024.

The petition also seeks to quash the second supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED in the case and related proceedings pending before a trial court.

In her plea, Fernandez contends that the evidence presented by the ED would establish her as an innocent victim of Sukesh Chandrasekhar's targeted attack. She asserts that there is no indication of her involvement in aiding Chandrasekhar in laundering purportedly ill-gotten wealth. The petition argues against the charges under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The plea highlights that the prosecution complaint against Fernandez does not allege any knowledge on her part regarding Chandrasekhar's activities. It emphasizes her role as a prosecution witness in the predicate offence and underscores her lack of knowledge about the alleged offences.

The petition argues that once the investigating agency has presented Fernandez as a prosecution witness in the predicate offence, any subsequent proceedings arising from the predicate offence should be quashed. It alleges that the ED acted in a partisan manner by arraigning her as an accused while giving a clean chit to others, including actress Nora Fatehi.

The plea claims that Nora Fatehi received gifts from Sukesh Chandrasekhar, presented under the head 'dissipation of proceeds of crime,' but has not been arraigned as an accused. This, according to the petition, reflects a malafide investigation against Fernandez.

Jacqueline Fernandez is accused in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case against Chandrasekhar. She has previously appeared before the ED for questioning in the investigation.

Chandrasekhar, along with his wife Leena Paulose, is facing proceedings in a money laundering case registered by the ED.

The Delhi Police had earlier registered an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly duping the spouses of former Ranbaxy promoters, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore.

Chandrasekhar and his wife were arrested by Delhi Police, and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been invoked in the case. The police allege the use of hawala routes and shell companies to park money earned from the proceeds of crime.

Case Title: Jacqueline Fernandez v. Directorate of Enforcement