New Delhi, 25 June (H.S.):

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has withdrawn her petition from the Supreme Court challenging a trial court order framing charges against her in connection with the ₹217-crore extortion case. A vacation bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna allowed Fernandez to withdraw the plea and granted her liberty to pursue other legal remedies available under law.

Earlier, on June 11, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra had recused himself from hearing the matter.

The Patiala House Court had ordered the framing of charges not only against Fernandez but also against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena Paul. The court directed that charges be framed under Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), along with Sections 170, 186, 384, 386, 388, 406, 409, 420, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

The case originated from a complaint filed by Aditi Singh, following which the Delhi Police registered a case. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a money laundering investigation.

According to submissions made by the ED before the court, Sukesh Chandrasekhar admitted to having received ₹57 crore from Aditi Singh. However, the agency’s investigation allegedly found that he had actually obtained around ₹80 crore. The ED described Sukesh as the mastermind behind the entire operation.

The agency further stated that Sukesh made his first contact with Aditi Singh through a landline telephone. According to the ED, he revealed that the money acquired through the alleged fraud was used to purchase vehicles, luxury items, and expensive gifts.

The ED has alleged that Sukesh used proceeds of crime obtained through fraudulent extortion of several high-profile individuals, including Aditi Singh, the wife of Shivinder Singh, to purchase gifts for Jacqueline Fernandez. The agency maintains that Sukesh designed and executed the entire criminal framework behind the alleged offences.

Delhi Police has also invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar in the case.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar