The Enforcement Directorate (ED), an Indian government agency that investigates financial fraud, is looking into the 37-year-old actress.
It has charged her with financial misbehavior and wants her detained.
Prashant Patil, Fernandez’s lawyer, refutes the allegations and asserts there is no legal case against her.
Because of Fernandez’s famous status, the case has made news in India.
She began in Bollywood in 2009 as a beauty contest winner and model from Sri Lanka, and she has since distinguished herself as a prominent actress.
Although film critics frequently dismiss her acting ability, Fernandez has worked with some of the industry’s top actors, including Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Salman Khan, and has acted in a number of successful films.
She has performed on stage in India and overseas with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, and she has served as a judge on a renowned dance reality show.
The actress is a celebrity spokesperson for various major businesses and is frequently included on media lists of “most desirable” women, “the world’s sexiest Asian ladies,” and “the most popular Indian celebrities.”
However, she has been entangled in an unsavoury incident involving an accused con man, details of pricey gifts she received from him, and charges of money laundering levelled against her since last year.
The ED has summoned her for questioning on many occasions, filed accusations against her in court, and is now attempting to arrest her. However, a Delhi judge ruled that she could not be detained until her bail application was heard.
The case revolves around her relationship with Sukesh Chandrasekhar, a 32-year-old man accused of extortion by multiple people and dubbed a “conman” by the government and Indian press.
According to court papers, Chandrashekhar, who has been imprisoned since 2018 in relation to other crimes, was mentioned in a new complaint in August last year, when he was charged with extorting 2 billion rupees ($24.6 million; £20.9 million) from a business family in 2020. His lawyer, Ashok K Singh, has refuted all claims on his client and stated that “he has been framed.”
Officials said that when investigating this case, they discovered that between February and August of last year, Chandrasekhar bestowed Jaqueline Fernandez with presents totaling 71.2 million rupees, including expensive purses, clothes, jewellery, a horse, automobiles for her siblings and parents, houses, and cash payments.
Fernandez does not deny receiving the presents, but her lawyer, Mr. Patil, claims she is also a “victim” of a complex crime.
