Jacqueline Fernandez withdraws plea for permission to go abroad, court says case at crucial stage

India

pti-PTI

New
Delhi,
Dec
22:
Bollywood
actor
Jacqueline
Fernandez,
accused
in
a
money
laundering
case,
on
Thursday
withdrew
from
a
Delhi
court
her
plea
for
permission
to
go
abroad.

The
actor
told
the
court
about
her
decision
after
the
judge
said
the
case
was
at
a
crucial
stage
and
suggested
that
the
question
of
charge
should
first
be
decided.
Fernandez
had
sought
permission
to
visit
Bahrain
from
December
23
to
January
5
to
see
her
mother.

“You
want
to
meet
your
mother
who
suffered
stroke
in
2021?
We
all
are
emotional
for
our
parents,
but
the
case
is
at
a
crucial
stage…You
can
withdraw
the
application
and
let
the
question
of
charge
first
be
decided.
Otherwise
I
will
pass
a
judicial
order,”
Special
Judge
Shailendra
Malik
told
Fernandez.

Thereafter,
the
actor
had
a
discussion
with
her
lawyers
and
informed
the
court
that
she
was
withdrawing
her
application
“at
this
stage”.

During
the
brief
arguments,
the
Enforcement
Directorate
opposed
her
plea,
saying
if
she
is
allowed
to
go
abroad
she
may
not
return.
“She
is
a
foreign
national.
Though
she
has
her
career
here,
but
she
can
make
her
career
somewhere
else
(also),”
the
anti-money
laundering
agency
said.

Delhi
court
to
hear
Nora
Fatehi’s
defamation
complaint
against
Jacqueline
on
Jan
21

Prior
to
withdrawing
the
application,
the
actor
told
the
court
that
during
the
probe
she
was
earlier
granted
permission
to
travel
abroad.
She
said
the
ED
had
opposed
her
petition
but
the
Delhi
High
Court
allowed
it.
“My
next
date
in
this
case
is
Jan
6.
I
will
return
by
Jan
5,
even
though
that’s
not
my
turn
to
argue
on
6th.
There’s
no
lack
of
cooperation
from
me,
never
was,
nor
will,”
her
counsel
told
the
court.
Fernandez
was
earlier
permitted
by
the
Delhi
High
Court
on
May
31
this
year
to
travel
abroad
for
the
IIFA
awards
subject
to
certain
conditions.

The
high
court
had
then
rejected
the
ED’s
appeal
against
a
trial
court
order
permitting
her
to
visit
abroad.
The
court
had
on
November
15
granted
regular
bail
to
the
actress,
who
has
not
been
arrested
yet
in
Rs
200
crore
money
laundering
case
also
involving
alleged
conman
Sukesh
Chandrashekar.

It
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
Enforcement
Directorate
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.