Bail for Jacqueline Fernandez in ₹200 crore Sukesh fraud case

The court granted the relief on the condition that the actor, a Sri Lanka national, will not leave the country without the court’s prior permission, and directed her to join the investigation as and when asked by the ED

New Delhi A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with a ₹200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, noting that she was not arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during the investigation.

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez arrives to appear for a hearing in the Patiala House Court in connection with the alleged ₹200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. (Raj K Raj/ HT Photo)

The court granted the relief on the condition that Fernandez, a Sri Lanka national, will not leave the country without the court’s prior permission, and directed her to join the investigation as and when asked by the ED.

Additional sessions judge Shailendra Malik said that since the actor was not been arrested by the ED, “…..without expressing much on the merits of the matter which of course would be decided during the trial, it is yet to be examined if there was a knowledge, intention or connection of applicant in taking those gifts and of proceeds of crime in this case. In that sense I find that the accused/ applicant is entitled to relief of bail, more particularly when she was not arrested during the investigation”.

The court noted that in December 2021, when Fernandez was stopped before taking a flight to Muscat, she was not served with any notice requiring her to appear before the ED, and before that she had already appeared during the investigation on two occasions.

“Therefore that circumstance as stated in reply from ED to my mind cannot be taken to assume that the accused/applicant tried to flee away from the country,” the court said, adding that such apprehension raised on behalf of ED is of no force now as the passport of the accused is with the agency.

Fernandez, who was summoned by the ED several times in connection with the investigation, has been named as an accused in a supplementary charge sheet filed on August 17.

The agency has said that the actress consciously chose to overlook Chandrashekhar’s criminal past for her lure of money, adding that she and the alleged conman were in collusion and tried to support each other when confronted with evidence.