NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez to withdraw her special leave petition challenging a Delhi trial court order framing charges against her in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
A two-judge bench of apex court comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi observed, “Counsel for the petitioner (Fernandez) has sought permission to withdraw this special leave petition with liberty to avail appropriate remedy in accordance with law."
The court granted the withdrawal with the liberty prayed for. With this, Fernandez is free to pursue other legal remedies before the appropriate forum. Proceedings before the trial court will continue.
Fernandez had challenged the Patiala House Court’s October 2022 order framing charges under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), arguing that there was insufficient material to frame charges.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Fernandez received gifts, luxury items and funds worth several crores from Chandrashekhar, who is accused of extorting money by impersonating senior government officials. The actor has maintained that she was misled and unaware of his criminal activities.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to interfere with a Delhi High Court order dismissing her plea to quash the ECIR in the case. She had also moved the top court seeking quashing of the ECIR of August 8, 2021, and a supplementary complaint filed under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA.
Fernandez is one of the accused in the case and was granted regular bail on November 15, 2022. The trial court had already framed charges against her under the PMLA.
Her lawyers argued before the Supreme Court that she was not an accused in the main predicate offence and there was no allegation of direct money laundering involvement.
The ED, however, has alleged in its chargesheet that she did not cooperate with the investigation and named her as an accused in the case. She has denied all allegations and maintained her innocence.