In the Delhi High Court, Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez’s legal team argued that she was unaware of the illicit origins of the expensive gifts she received, which are allegedly tied to the ₹200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Fernandez has contested the charge sheet filed against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
During the hearing on Wednesday, her lawyers stated that she was not involved in any criminal activities and had no knowledge that the gifts were proceeds of crime. Senior advocate Siddharth Agrawal, representing Fernandez, emphasized that the ED had not claimed that she was aware the gifts were linked to criminal funds.
Justice Anish Dayal questioned whether an adult person has a responsibility to know the source of a gift they receive. The defense also argued that Fernandez stopped communicating with Chandrasekhar after reading a 2019 news article that raised suspicions about his activities, although they clarified that the article was not considered evidence. Additionally, the defense claimed Fernandez was misled by co-accused Pinky Irani, who allegedly convinced her that Chandrasekhar had political connections.
