Jacqueliene Fernandez to face trial as Delhi court orders framing of charges in ED’s Rs 200 crores money laundering case

On May 30, 2026, a Delhi court ordered the framing of criminal charges against Jacqueliene Fernandez, conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, and 15 others in a high-profile Rs 200-crores money laundering case. The ruling establishes that the trial against the actor and the co-accused will formally commence following their appearance in court this week.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Prashant Sharma observed that the investigative findings revealed a robust legal basis to proceed with the prosecution. "Prima facie, there is sufficient material on record based upon which a strong suspicion is raised against all the accused," the ASJ stated, as per a report by PTI.

The court held that Fernandez and the others are liable to be prosecuted for the offence of money laundering under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which is punishable under Section 4 of the same Act. The judge has directed all the accused individuals to appear physically in court on June 3 for the formal signing and framing of the charges.

The court rejected Fernandez's primary legal defense that she was an unwitting victim being made a scapegoat in the case. Her legal team had previously argued that she should not be prosecuted under the PMLA since she was not named as an accused in the scheduled extortion offense handled by the Delhi Police. However, the court dismissed this argument as meritless, reiterating that an individual can be prosecuted under anti-money laundering laws independently of the core scheduled offense.

The court noted that Fernandez's own statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA clearly indicated her regular interaction with Chandrashekar, as well as the receipt of substantial funds and luxury articles. The ruling emphasized that the actor was aware of Chandrashekar’s extensive criminal background and yet chose to receive expensive gifts, financial payments for her brother, and a car for her parents, thereby attracting liability for utilizing the proceeds of crime.

The decision arrives shortly after the court permitted Fernandez to withdraw her application filed on April 16, which had sought to turn an approver in the ongoing probe. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had vehemently opposed her petition, arguing that her active involvement and ongoing communication with the prime accused disqualified her from seeking such relief.

The broader case stems from an investigation into an organized criminal network operated by Chandrashekar, who was first arrested by the Delhi Police in 2017 and subsequently by the ED in 2021. Prosecution details reveal that Chandrashekar managed the extortion racket from inside his prison cell using spoofed calls, encrypted applications, and fabricated identities. By impersonating high-ranking government officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Law and Justice, he induced the complainant, Aditi Singh, to part with huge sums of money totaling over Rs 200 crore.

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