Jacqueline Fernandez moves court to restrain ‘conman’ Chandrasekhar from issuing media statements about her

PTI, Dec 20, 2023, 7:16 PM IST

Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Wednesday moved a Delhi court seeking directions for immediately restraining alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar from issuing any communication pertaining to her, directly or indirectly, to media.

In her plea, the actor sought directions to the superintendent of Mandoli prison and Delhi Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) to not allow Chandrasekhar to issue any further letters, statements or messages about her. She also sought filing of a detailed report by the jail superintendent regarding the action taken against Chandrasekhar.

Citing Chandrasekhar’s letter dated October 15, the plea said it was ”laced with unsolicited and disturbing content,” and that it was widely reported by media.

”This relentless pursuit by Chandrashekhar, aimed at establishing contact with the applicant (Jacqueline), is nothing short of a blatant attempt at witness tampering, with the clear intention of mentally intimidating her to the extent that she is compelled to withhold the truth in the criminal trial,” the actor’s petition said.

It said the ”barrage of letters and messages” posed a ”substantial threat to her safety and well-being” as a single woman residing in India, away from her family, besides inflicting ”immense distress and fear” upon her.

”These letters, intentionally circulated and published widely in the print media, have caused significant financial losses to the applicant. This campaign is not only harassment and intimidation but is a direct violation of her rights as a prosecution witness,” the plea said.

It said a detailed investigation is needed to understand as to how he got to write such intimidating letters to electronic and print media.

In its reply, the EOW said it was a matter of ”grave concern” that an important witness in the case was harassed and threatened by the accused. This could affect the trial, it said. The reply also said sending letters to media platforms was not only harassing and threatening the actor but also affecting her social and professional assignments. Additional Sessions Judge Sachin Gupta posted the matter for January 17 for further proceedings.

Fernandez approached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking quashing of the FIR against her in the Enforcement Directorate’s Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving Chandrasekhar. The Delhi Police have accused Chandrashekar of duping Aditi Singh, the wife of former promoter of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Mohan Singh, of Rs 200 crore with the promise of securing bail for her husband, who was lodged in jail in a criminal case.

The Sri Lankan origin actor has been accused of being complicit in laundering the extorted money.