Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez has withdrawn her petition from the Supreme Court in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. The Supreme Court allowed the withdrawal on Thursday. The case will now proceed before the trial court.
What happened in court on Thursday
The matter came up before a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi on June 25. When the case was called, Jacqueline sought permission to withdraw her special leave petition. The bench allowed her request.
Her petition had challenged two specific orders. The first was a Delhi High Court order that refused to quash the Enforcement Directorate’s prosecution complaint against her. The second was a trial court order that framed charges against her under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
By withdrawing the plea, Jacqueline has stepped back from her attempt to get the charges dropped at this stage. The trial will now move forward.
Why the case was before a different bench
The matter had originally been listed before a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S. Chandurkar on June 11. That hearing did not proceed as planned.
Justice Mishra recused himself after informing the parties that his son had appeared on behalf of the government in a connected case. “In one of the connected matters, my son had appeared on behalf of the government. The case must therefore be placed before a different Bench,” he said.
Following the recusal, the matter was reassigned and eventually came before the bench of Justices Nagarathna and Bagchi on June 25.
Jacqueline’s position in the trial
Jacqueline appeared before the Patiala House Court on June 3 and pleaded not guilty to the charges framed against her. She opted to contest the case on merits rather than seek any further relief at this stage.
She is not the only accused facing trial. The trial court also framed money laundering charges against Sukesh Chandrashekhar, his wife Leena Maria Paul, and 14 others. All of them pleaded not guilty and sought trial as well.
The next date before the trial court is July 16.
The approver application she withdrew earlier
This is not the first time Jacqueline has withdrawn a legal step in this case. A few weeks before the Supreme Court withdrawal, she had also pulled back an application seeking to become an approver in the case.
The ED had opposed that application. The agency said her conduct during the investigation was not satisfactory and that she had failed to make a full and true disclosure in statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA.
What the ED has alleged
The Enforcement Directorate has made several specific allegations against Jacqueline in this case.
The agency has alleged that she remained in regular contact with Sukesh Chandrashekhar even after becoming aware of his criminal background. It also alleged that she did not fully cooperate with the investigation into the proceeds of crime.
According to the ED, Chandrashekhar arranged luxury gifts, valuables, and other benefits for Jacqueline using money generated through alleged money laundering activities. The agency has accused her of receiving luxury gifts worth around Rs 7 crore from him.
Jacqueline has consistently denied having any knowledge of Chandrashekhar’s alleged criminal activities or the source of the money he used to buy those gifts.
Where the case comes from
The money laundering case has its roots in allegations against Sukesh Chandrashekhar that go beyond his association with Jacqueline.
He is accused of cheating the wives of former Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of nearly Rs 200 crore. The ED’s investigation into those alleged proceeds of crime led to the charges now being faced by Jacqueline and the other accused in the case.