SC refuses to interfere with order junking Jacqueline Fernandez's plea in money laundering case
New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI): Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday failed to get relief from the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with an order dismissing her plea to quash an ECIR (equivalent to FIR) in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.
"You withdraw this. Come at an appropriate stage. That would be the better option. We will not interfere at this stage," a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who represented Fernandez.
Fernandez, in her plea filed through advocate Sumeer Sodhi, challenged the Delhi High Court's July 3 order which dismissed her petition for quashing the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the money laundering case.
Fernandez is an accused in the case against Chandrasekhar and has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate.
Delhi Police booked Chandrasekhar for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of Rs 200 crore.
On Monday, Rohatgi said Chandrasekhar, who is jailed, was accused of impersonating ministers and senior secretaries to the government of India.
Rohatgi said there was no allegation that Fernandez helped Chandrasekhar in laundering of Rs 200 crore.
Referring to the allegations, Rohatgi said his client was a film star, with whom alleged conman Chandrasekhar was "actually infatuated".
"I did not know originally that he was in jail," Rohatgi said, pointing out Chandrasekhar sent her gifts.
Rohatgi said Fernandez was not an accused in the predicate offence of alleged extortion.
Fernandez, it was alleged, received gifts worth at least Rs 5.71 crore from Chandrasekhar, knowing fully well of his criminal antecedents.
Rohatgi said the prosection's case was that the actor should have been more careful.
The bench referred to the apex court's Vijay Madanlal Choudhary judgment which upheld the ED's powers related to arrest; attachment of property involved in money laundering besides search and seize under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
"Vijay Madanlal is still the law. At the stage of framing of charge, you have to accept what is the allegation," it said.
Rohatgi referred to Section 3 of the PMLA which deals with the offence of money laundering.
After the bench said it would not interfere with the high court's order at this stage and the petitioner could approach the court at an appropriate stage, Rohatgi requested that the matter be adjourned for some time.
The bench said it would dismiss the petition with liberty to the petitioner to approach the court at an appropriate stage.
Rohatgi said the observations made by the high court in its July 3 order should not come in her way in at the stage of charge.
The bench said the observations made in the high court's judgement were only for the purpose of disposing of the petition before it.
The high court dismissed her plea which also sought to quash the second supplementary chargesheet of the ED in the case and proceedings pending in a Delhi trial court.
Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena Paulose, facing proceedings in a money laundering case of the ED, were arrested by Delhi Police along with others.
The police also invoked the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Paulose and Chandrasekhar were alleged to have used hawala routes and created shell companies along with other accused persons to park the money earned as proceeds of crime.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
