Delhi Court Orders Charges Against Jacqueline Fernandez, Sukesh Chandrashekar In Rs 200 Crore PMLA Case

A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against actor Jacqueline Fernandez, alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, his wife Leena Maria Paul and 15 others in a Rs 200-crore money laundering and extortion case, paving the way for a full trial under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma held that there is prima facie material on record that raises strong suspicion against all accused, and directed that charges be framed under Section 3 of the PMLA , punishable under Section 4 , in the alleged offence of laundering proceeds of crime.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Sukesh Chandrashekar ran an organised criminal syndicate from inside jail , impersonating senior government officials, including those from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice, to carry out extortion and cheating operations.

According to the agency, victims were targeted using spoofed calls, encrypted messaging platforms and fake identities , leading them to transfer large sums of money. The alleged proceeds of crime, estimated at over Rs 200 crore, were then routed through bank accounts, hawala channels, shell companies and cash transactions , and later layered to appear legitimate.

Investigators have also relied on extensive digital and forensic evidence , including mobile phones, chat records, call data, banking transactions and statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA.

The ED has further alleged that Jacqueline Fernandez was in contact with Chandrashekar and received high-value luxury gifts through intermediaries, claims which she has previously disputed, maintaining that she was unaware of any illegal activity.

Chandrashekar, already facing multiple cheating and impersonation cases, is accused of operating a wider fraud network involving several associates across the country.