‘Reputation being tarnished’: Nora Fatehi files defamation suit against Jacqueline Fernandez

New Delhi, Dec. 12 (IANS): Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has filed a defamation case in a court here against actor Jacqueline Fernandez, alleging that the latter made defamatory allegations against her for “malicious reasons” and to destroy her career.

According to Fatehi, Fernandez sought to criminally defame her in order to destroy her career to further her own interests, since they are both working in the same industry and have similar backgrounds, amongst other reasons.

Contending that her image is being tarnished, Fatehi, stressing that artistes’ career is solely based on their reputation, alleged that defamatory remarks were made against her by Fernandez to ensure her financial, social, and personal downfall.

In the complaint accessed by IANS, she also claimed that Fernandez has also maliciously attempted to absolve herself from her actions in another criminal proceedings which are absolutely unrelated to her.

“Jacqueline Fernandez is also an actress, and is pretty well known in the film industry. She has also been made an accused in the Sukesh Chandrashekhar INR 200 crore money-laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate. That the defamatory imputations were made by Fernandez due to malicious reasons. Apart from that, Fernandez sought to criminally defame the complainant in order to destroy her career to further her own interests since she is also in Bollywood,” read the complaint moved by Fatehi through her counsel advocate Vikram Chauhan.

Fatehi has further alleged that Fernandez made a false statement against her despite being an actress too.

“Fernandez has unnecessarily dragged and defamed me as I am in the same industry. She is fully aware that the business of any artiste and their career is solely based on their reputation. This clearly establishes that the said imputation has been made with the intention and knowledge that such imputation will harm the reputation of the complainant,” her plea read.

She also accused a few media firms for quoting Fernandez which lowered her reputation in the same plea.

The court has fixed December 19 as the next date of hearing.

On December 2, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Fatehi regarding conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s INR 200 crore money laundering case.

Both Fernandez and Fatehi had recorded their statement as witness in the case.

Earlier, fixed deposits worth INR 7.2 crore belonging to Fernandez were attached by the ED, which termed these gifts and properties as proceeds of crime received by the actresses.

In February, the ED filed its first supplementary prosecution complaint against Chandrashekhar’s aide Pinky Irani, who introduced him to Bollywood actresses.

It had been alleged in the charge sheet that Irani used to choose costly gifts for Fernandez and later used to drop it at her house after the payments were made by Chandrashekhar.

In December last year the ED filed the first charge sheet in this matter before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh.

Chandrashekhar has spent around INR 20 crore on different models and Bollywood celebs. A few had, however, refused to take gifts from him.