NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has fixed January 21 as the date for hearing a criminal complaint filed by Canadian actor Nora Fatehi against Jacqueline Fernandez and other media houses for allegedly defaming her by unfairly dragging her name into a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar.
Fatehi, who has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films has named 15 media organisations as accused in her complaint.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria assigned the defamation complaint to Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Gupta, who posted the matter for January 21 to decide on taking cognisance of it.
Fatehi, who is likely to appear before the court on January 21, had said in her complaint filed on December 12 that she has a pristine reputation apart from a rapidly progressing career which has quite obviously threatened her rivals who are unable to compete with her on fair footing.
The defamatory statement was made by Jacqueline in bad faith and with mala fide intention and was circulated by the media houses made accused in the complaint with an intent to defame her, she said.
The complaint claimed the allegations made by Jacqueline, also a Bollywood actor, that Fatehi had received gifts from Chandrashekar were wrong.
The only time the complainant spoke to Chandrashekar was when his wife, Leena Maria Paul, made her speak to him over speakerphone at the event in Chennai where the complainant was invited by Leena. At the event, the complainant was gifted an iPhone and a Gucci bag by Leena. No gifts were ever received by the complainant from Chandrashekar, Fatehi has said in the complaint.
Fatehi also denied she had received a luxury car from Chandrashekar and said it was part payment to her brother-in-law Bobby Khan, who Chandrashekar had approached for directing a movie.
Since the complainant had never even spoken to Chandrashekar let alone having met him, hence the imputation made by Jacqueline and the subsequent publishing of the same by the accused media houses are untrue, the complaint said.
Her complaint further contended that the facts and circumstances clearly revealed that the accused no. 1 by words intended to be seen/ read and at her behest published in newspapers thereby casting baseless and unfounded imputation concerning her thereby wanting and intending to harm, knowingly that such imputation will harm, the reputation of the complainant, has committed the offence of 'Defamation' as defined in Section 499 IPC punishable u/s 500 IPC.
"The accused persons have committed the offence, in connivance with each other and in furtherance of all, and with the explanation given by the complainant to the cause of action, it is evident that the accused persons had made false statements just to defame the Complainant," she stated in her complaint.
Her complaint has been filed here through advocates Vikram Singh Chauhan, Umair Ahmed and Tanisha.
