The Delhi court Saturday accused of money laundering alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez and others in the high-profile ₹200 crore extortion case that got national attention in the last few years.
Assistant Special Judge Prashant Sharma of Patiala House courts framed the charge on Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) as well as cheating, impersonation and criminal conspiracy. The court has invited all the accused persons to appear on June 3 for the framing of charges and a detailed judicial order is awaited.
This case is based on an FIR lodged by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in August 2021 and investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). According to the investigators, Chandrasekhar and his associates extorted around ₹200 crore from Aditi Singh, the wife of the former promoter of Shivinder Singh, by claiming to be influential government officials and offering to provide legal aid to Singh.
The gifts and luxury items valued at over ₹7 crore were allegedly bought through proceeds of crime, according to the ED. The agency later made her a part of a supplementary chargesheet in 2022.
Fernandez has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming she had no knowledge of Chandrasekhar’s alleged criminal activities and was not planning on engaging in any illegal conduct. Overall, the case is likely to be a major story in the near future and will be closely monitored by legal experts.