Delhi Court Permits Jacqueline Fernandez To Travel Abroad Without Prior Permission

A Delhi court changed Jacqueline Fernandez’s bail conditions, enabling her to travel abroad without seeking permission from the court in connection with the Rs.200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar.

She is mentioned as an accused in the money laundering case, along with conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, in an extortion case filed by the Delhi police economic crimes wing in August last year.

The court of additional sessions judge Shailendra Malik declared that the court recognizes her profession as an actor in the Indian film industry who has to travel overseas regularly and needs to leave the nation on short notice in order to pursue professional prospects.

“…In such a situation, the condition of taking prior permission before leaving the country, becomes cumbersome and may be a reason for losing livelihood”, the judge wrote in the August 10 judgment.

Jacqueline was granted regular bail in the case brought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the condition that she seek permission from the court on November 15, 2022.

The actor filed an application under section 439(1)(b) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to modify her bail conditions on the grounds that she is an actor in the Indian film industry and needs to travel abroad for professional commitments, often on short notice.

She also informed the court that because of the time-consuming nature of the court proceedings, she has lost on various opportunities since the organizers have chosen to employ other people.

Meanwhile, the ED objected to the application, claiming that the bail requirements exist not just to ensure the accused’s presence but also to prevent any possibility of fleeing from the judicial process. It was also noted that obtaining permission to travel overseas takes time and is unsustainable.

After hearing both parties’ arguments, the court modified the bail conditions to require Fernandez to notify the court and the federal agency at least three days before traveling abroad and provide details about her travels such as the country she is visiting, duration, places she would be staying and the contact numbers.

The court also stated that her passport would be freed when she deposited a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) of Rs.50 lakh with the intimation application and surrendered the passport to the court, after which her FDR would be released.

Fernandez was a co-accused in the ED case, but she was made a witness in the predicate crime case launched by the EOW of the Delhi police.

Chandrasekhar is currently incarcerated and being investigated in a Rs 200-crore extortion case. The ED also listed Fernandez, who was rumored to be in a relationship with him, as an accused in the investigation.

Chandrashekhar has been charged with extorting money from businessmen, politicians, and celebrities.

The agency claimed that Chandrasekhar gave Jacqueline expensive presents, including a BMW car. Earlier sources claimed that Chandrashekhar sent a gift worth over Rs.10 crore to Fernandez while he was in jail.

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