Delhi court grants regular bail to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in Money Laundering Case
A Delhi court on Tuesday granted regular bail to actor Jacqueline Fernandez in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, saying the fact that the accused was not arrested during the investigation makes it a case for grant of bail.
Special Judge Shailendra Malik granted the relief on the condition that the accused will not leave the country without the court's prior permission, and directed her to join the investigation as and when asked by the ED.
“However without expressing much on the merits of the matter which of course would be decided during the trial, it is yet to be examined if there was a knowledge, intention or connection of applicant in taking those gifts and of proceeds of crime in this case. In that sense I find that accused/ applicant is entitled to relief of bail, more particularly when she was not arrested during the investigation,” the judge said.
“In the present case accused/applicant being a woman having been not arrested by the ED in facts and evidence of present case, to my mind is certainly entitled for exemption of section 45 (of Prevention of Money Laundering Act) on account of her being woman,” he added.
The court noted that in December last year, when Fernandez was stopped before taking a flight to Muscat, she was not served with any notice requiring her to appear before the ED, and before that she had already appeared during the investigation on two occasions.
“Therefore that circumstance as stated in reply from ED to my mind cannot be taken to assume that accused/applicant tried to flee away from the country,” the court said.
Even otherwise such apprehension raised on behalf of ED is of no force now as passport of the accused is with the agency, it said.
The judge granted the relief on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with one surety of the like amount.
The court also directed the actor to not leave the country without its prior permission and said she shall not tamper with the evidence.
“Accused shall not try to influence or contact any of the witness. Accused/applicant shall attend the court without any fail and shall not try to hamper trial in any manner,” it said.
The judge had on August 31 taken cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate and asked Fernandez to appear before the court.
Fernandez, who was summoned by the ED several times in connection with the investigation, was named as an accused for the first time in the supplementary charge sheet.
The ED's earlier charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet did not mention her as an accused.
The documents, however, had mentioned the details of the statements recorded by Fernandez and fellow actor Nora Fatehi.
(Source : PTI & The Pioneer)
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