Rs 200 Crore Extortion Case: Delhi Court Defers Hearing On Charges Against Jacqueline Fernandez Till December 12
Delhi's Patiala House Court on Thursday deferred the hearing on charges against Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez till 12th December.
New Delhi: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Thursday deferred the hearing on charges against Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez till 12th December. She appeared in the court in connection with the Rs 200 crore extortion case involving multi-millionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
On November 15, the court had granted bail to the actress on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and one surety in the same amount. Special Judge Shailendra Malik granted the relief on the condition that the accused will not leave the country without the court’s prior permission, and directed her to join the investigation as and when asked by the ED.
“However without expressing much on the merits of the matter which of course would be decided during the trial, it is yet to be examined if there was a knowledge, intention or connection of applicant in taking those gifts and of proceeds of crime in this case. In that sense I find that accused/ applicant is entitled to relief of bail, more particularly when she was not arrested during the investigation,” the judge said, according to PTI.
According to PTI, the court noted that in December last year, when Fernandez was stopped before taking a flight to Muscat, she was not served with any notice requiring her to appear before the ED, and before that she had already appeared during the investigation on two occasions.
“Therefore that circumstance as stated in reply from ED to my mind cannot be taken to assume that accused/applicant tried to flee away from the country,” the court said.
Even otherwise such apprehension raised on behalf of ED is of no force now as passport of the accused is with the agency, it said.
“Accused shall not try to influence or contact any of the witnesses. Accused/applicant shall attend the court without any fail and shall not try to hamper trial in any manner,” it said.
The judge had on August 31 taken cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate and asked Fernandez to appear before the court.
Fernandez, who was summoned by the ED several times in connection with the investigation, was named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet.
The ED’s earlier charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet did not mention her as an accused.
The documents, however, had mentioned the details of the statements recorded by Fernandez and fellow actor Nora Fatehi.
(With PTI inputs)
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