Judge asks why Jacqueline Fernandez hasn’t been Arrested

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was grilled by Judge Shirinder Malik in a Delhi court on Thursday, November 10, 2022, as he questioned why Jacqueline Fernandez has not been arrested.

The actress is accused of being involved in a Rs. 200 Crore (£21 million) extortion case, led by conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar,

Judge Shirinder Malik questioned the ED’s “pick and choose” tactics and why the actress had not yet been detained.

Questioning the ED’s intentions, the Judge asked Public Prosecutor Shailesh N Pathak:

“Why haven’t you arrested Jacqueline yet despite issuing an LOC?

“Other accused are in jail. Why adopt a pick-and-choose policy?”

The judge told the ED to show the criteria to support its arguments and asked why the agency did not arrest the accused.

Also questioning why the ED filed a charge sheet without Fernandez’s arrest but chose to oppose her bail now.

Pathak responded by saying it was the responsibility of investigating officers to make the initial arrest:

“Prerogative of the investigating officer to arrest.”

Pathak also told the court that the ED agency was investigating a money laundering case valued at Rs. 200 Crore.

So far, they have frozen over Rs. 7 Crore (£740,000) worth of Jacqueline’s assets.

Pathak continued: “We have not seen Rs. 50 Lakh (£53,000) in cash in our entire life but Jacqueline frittered away Rs. 7.14 Crore for fun.

“She has tried every trick in the book to try and escape because she has enough money.”

On the morning of November 10, Jacqueline Fernandez was seen entering Delhi’s Patiala House Court.

The actress was given conditional bail after Rs. 50,000 (£500) was posted.

Jacqueline Fernandez has been named as an accused in the ED’s charge sheet in the extortion case against jailed conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

The investigating agency had reportedly stated that the actress was aware of the extortion racket run by the conman and allegedly helped him in transferring “proceeds of crime”.

It has also been heavily reported that the pair were in a relationship.

The ED agency, which investigates financial crimes, had earlier issued an alert – a Lookout Circular (LOC) – in airports to stop Jacqueline from leaving the country.

Despite the claims against her, a statement from Jacqueline Fernandez’s lawyer Prashant Patil stated:

“I repeat, that my client is innocent and she shall fight for her dignity by following the due process of law.”

Judge Shailender Malik is expected to announce his verdict on Fernandez’s bail plea on Friday, November 24, 2022, after both the defence and prosecution complete their arguments.