A Bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi allowed Fernandez to withdraw her petition when the matter was taken up for hearing. The Supreme Court granted permission for the withdrawal, bringing an end to her challenge before the apex court at this stage.
The matter had previously been listed before a Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S. Chandurkar on June 11. However, Justice Mishra recused himself from hearing the case after informing the parties that his son had appeared on behalf of the government in a connected matter. Observing that his son had represented the government in one of the related cases, Justice Mishra directed that the matter be placed before another Bench of which he was not a member.
Following the recusal, the case was reassigned and listed before Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi on June 25.
In her Special Leave Petition, Fernandez had challenged the Delhi High Court’s refusal to quash the Enforcement Directorate’s prosecution complaint as well as the trial court’s order framing charges against her under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The development comes after Fernandez earlier pleaded not guilty before a Delhi court and expressed her willingness to face trial in the money laundering case. Appearing before the Patiala House Court on June 3, she denied the charges framed against her under the PMLA and chose to contest the allegations on merit.
The trial court also framed money laundering charges against Sukesh Chandrashekhar, his wife Leena Maria Paul, and 14 other accused. All of them pleaded not guilty and sought a full trial. The matter is now scheduled for further proceedings before the trial court on July 16.
The latest development follows another significant move by Fernandez, who recently withdrew her application seeking to become an approver in the case. The Enforcement Directorate had opposed that request, arguing that her conduct during the investigation was unsatisfactory and that she had failed to make a full and truthful disclosure in statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, Fernandez remained in regular contact with Chandrashekhar even after allegedly becoming aware of his criminal background and did not fully cooperate with investigators examining the alleged proceeds of crime. The agency has further alleged that Chandrashekhar arranged luxury gifts, valuables, and other benefits for Fernandez using funds generated through the alleged money laundering operation.
Investigators claim that Fernandez received luxury gifts worth approximately ₹7 crore from Chandrashekhar. The actor, however, has consistently maintained that she had no knowledge of his alleged criminal activities or the source of the funds used to purchase those gifts.
The money laundering case originates from allegations that Chandrashekhar cheated the wives of former Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of nearly ₹200 crore. With Fernandez withdrawing her challenge before the Supreme Court and having already pleaded not guilty before the trial court, the high-profile case is set to move forward through the trial process, keeping the spotlight on one of India’s most closely watched financial crime investigations.
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