Supreme Court junks Jacqueline Fernandez's plea to cancel Rs 215-crore ED case
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez’s request to quash the ₹215-crore money laundering case registered against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with alleged fraudster Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih dismissed her plea but left the door open for her to return at an appropriate stage of the trial. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Fernandez, argued that the case boiled down to an expectation that she should have been more cautious in accepting gifts from Chandrashekhar. Justice Datta remarked that, at this stage, the allegations have to be accepted on face value. He stressed that while the charges are yet to be proven, they cannot be discarded prior to trial.
Citing precedent, he added, “If one friend gives something to another, and it later emerges that the giver is involved in an offence, the situation becomes difficult.” He also underlined that this was not a situation where gifts were received without awareness.
Fernandez approached the apex court after the Delhi High Court, on July 3, had dismissed a similar petition, noting that the question of her culpability could only be decided during trial.
The actor, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, insists she had no knowledge of Sukesh’s criminal activities.
The ED, however, listed her as a co-accused in its August 2022 chargesheet, alleging she received luxury items—including jewellery, designer clothing, and vehicles—worth over ₹7 crore from Sukesh despite being aware of his illicit background. The agency further accused her of deleting phone data following Sukesh’s arrest and initially concealing details of her financial transactions with him, which she later admitted when confronted with evidence.
Sukesh, currently lodged in Mandoli Jail, Delhi, faces charges of orchestrating a ₹215-crore scam targeting high-profile individuals through impersonation and fraud.
- With inputs from agencies
