Fifteen media outlets have been named in actor Nora Fatehi’s defamation suit against Jacqueline Fernandez for reporting on the latter’s remarks against the former in the Sukesh Chandrashekhar money laundering case.
The actors were earlier questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the investigation against Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Nora filed a defamation suit against the media organisations and Jacqueline after the latter’s written submission to the PMLA court that stated “she was being falsely implicated by the ED while celebs like Nora Fatehi who had also accepted gifts from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar had been made witnesses”.
Nora’s petition, filed through her lawyer in Patiala House Court, names ANI, OpIndia, NDTV, Times of India, Economic Times, Indian Express, DNA India, Mint, The Hindu, ABP Live, Pinkvilla, FirstPost, New Indian Express, Outlook India and Zee News. She alleged that these outlets “were acting in connivance with each other and a conspiracy by Fernandez” to ensure her “financial, social, and personal downfall”.
The actor said she has lost advertisement deals with Xiaomi, Hindware and Bebe because of the allegedly defamatory remarks and the amplification of the same by the media. “The articles so published in news have given wide publicity to flaw averments not only in news circles and websites but also on various social media outlets which has brought down Fatehi in the estimation of her friends, acquaintances, business associates, fellow industry members and well washers and has caused harm to her reputation,” the petition claimed.
The actor said that the only time she spoke to Chandrashekhar was when his wife, Leena Maria Paul, made her speak to him on the speaker at an event in Chennai which she was invited to by Leena. She said she was given an iPhone and Gucci bag by Leena and no gifts were received from Chandrashekhar. “That so far as imputations regarding the receiving of a luxury car by Fatehi from Chandrashekhar is concerned, Fatehi has categorically denied receiving any car or any Ford from him. The car in question was part payment for directing a movie given to Fatehi’s brother-in-law, Bobby Khan, who was approached by Chandrashekhar for the same.”
Fatehi also claimed that she has never ever spoken to or met Chandrashekhar.
Most of the organisations named in the defamation case either attributed such claims to Jacqueline, the ED chargesheet, officials or sources, or deployed the word “alleged” or “reported” to reflect that it was not their independent verification.
