A Delhi court on Saturday directed that charges be framed against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, and several others in connection with the ₹200 crore extortion and money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Special Judge Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Court also ordered framing of charges under Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Chandrashekhar and 21 other accused in the Delhi Police Crime Branch case.
All accused, numbering 40 across the two linked cases, have been asked to appear before the court on June 3 for the formal framing of charges.
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Evidence points to generation and laundering of crime proceeds
As per a report by Hindustan Times, while passing the order in the ED case, the court observed that there was sufficient material on record to raise a strong suspicion that Chandrashekhar committed offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The court referred to 36 key pieces of evidence, including witness statements, call detail records, and chats recovered during the investigation. According to the order, the material “indicated the generation of proceeds of crime to the tune of ₹215 crores from Aditi Singh and the modus operandi of laundering the money”.
The judge further noted that a similar prima facie suspicion emerged against Jacqueline Fernandez.
Referring to her statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, the court observed that “she admitted contact with Sukesh and receiving of gift and money from him”.
#WATCH | Delhi: Rs. 200 Crore Extortion Case | Advocate SPM Tripathi, counsel for Sunder Bora (accused in MCOCA and Money laundering case of Sukesh Chandrasekhar case) says, “The court passed the order today against all the accused in both the MCOCA and the ED cases, including… pic.twitter.com/6CWUHMXI7a
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2026
Jacqueline’s defence to be tested during trial
Fernandez has maintained that she had no knowledge of Chandrashekhar’s alleged criminal activities and therefore lacked any criminal intent. However, the court rejected the argument that she could not be prosecuted under PMLA because she was not an accused in the scheduled offence.
Calling the contention “meritless”, the court said settled legal principles permit prosecution under PMLA even if a person is not named in the predicate offence. The question of whether she knew the gifts were linked to proceeds of crime, the court said, would be examined during trial.
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Extortion allegations and MCOCA findings
In the Delhi Police case, the court found prima facie grounds for offences under MCOCA, citing confessional statements and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
The court noted that Chandrashekhar’s criminal history suggested that “he is involved in continuous unlawful activity”. It also relied on complainant Aditi Singh’s statement, which alleged that Chandrashekhar posed as a senior government official and extorted more than ₹200 crore from her while promising to secure bail for her husband, former Ranbaxy promoter Shivender Singh.
The ED alleges that the extorted funds were routed through shell companies and layered transactions, with a portion allegedly used to purchase luxury gifts and other assets.
