On May 30, 2026, a Delhi court ordered framing of criminal charges against Jacqueline Fernandez, swindler Sukesh Chandrashekhar and 15 others in a high-profile money laundering case of Rs 200 crore. The ruling establishes that the trial against the actor and co-accused will formally begin following their appearance in court this week.
Jacqueline Fernandez will face trial as a Delhi court has ordered framing of charges in the ED’s Rs 200 crore money laundering case.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Prashant Sharma said the findings of the investigation revealed a strong legal basis to proceed with the prosecution. “Prima facie, there is sufficient material on record based on which strong suspicion is raised against all the accused,” the ASJ said, according to a PTI report.
The court held that Fernandes and others could be prosecuted for the offense 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 persons to appear in person in the court on June 3 for formal signature and framing of charges.
The court rejected Fernandez’s primary legal defense that she was an unwitting victim who was being made a scapegoat in the case. His legal team had earlier argued that he should not be prosecuted under the PMLA as he was not named as an accused in the extortion offense as determined by the Delhi Police. However, the court rejected this argument as baseless, reiterating that a person can be prosecuted under anti-money laundering laws independently of the original scheduled offence.
The court said that Fernandes’s own statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA clearly indicate his regular interactions with Chandrashekhar as well as receipt of substantial money and luxury items. The judgment emphasized that the actress was aware of Chandrashekhar’s extensive criminal background and yet she decided to accept expensive gifts, financial payments for her brother and a car for her parents, thereby attracting liability for using the proceeds of crime.
The decision came soon after the court allowed Fernandes to withdraw his application filed on April 16, seeking to turn government witness in the ongoing investigation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had strongly opposed his plea, arguing that his active participation and ongoing communication with the main accused disqualified him from seeking such relief.
The wide-ranging case stems from the investigation into an organized criminal network run by Chandrashekhar, who was first arrested by the Delhi Police in 2017 and then by the ED in 2021. Prosecution details reveal that Chandrashekhar managed the extortion racket from inside his jail cell using spoofed calls, encrypted applications and fabricated identities. By impersonating high-ranking government officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice, he induced complainant Aditi Singh to pay a huge sum of more than Rs 200 crore.
