ED opposes Jacqueline Fernandez’s plea to turn approver in Sukesh Chandrasekhar money laundering case

The court at Patiala House courts set the next hearing date for May 12, 2026 in the money laundering case against Sukesh Chandrasekhar, after Fernandez’s counsel sought time for instructions regarding her plea to become an approver.

At a hearing at Patiala House courts, the Enforcement Directorate argued that Jacqueline Fernandez was not an unwitting victim in the ₹200-crore money laundering case against conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. The ED said Fernandez stayed in constant touch with Chandrasekhar despite knowing his criminal background and received gifts arranged from laundered funds, signifying a conscious association with the main perpetrator and illicit gains. It also asserted her cooperation during the investigation was lacking, with truthful disclosures repeatedly missing. Special Prosecutor Atul Tripathi said the aim of making an accused an approver is to obtain evidence from a less culpable person to prosecute more culpable ones, but Fernandez’s role was that of a significant beneficiary rather than a minor participant. The ED maintained that granting her approver status would be a miscarriage of justice and would undermine the gravity of the offence.