Actor Nora Fatehi appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Gupta on Monday to record her statement in a defamation case she filed against fellow Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez and several media organisations.Addressing the court, Canadian dancer-actor Fatehi said, “This defamation case has been filed against Jacqueline Fernandez and the various other channels and publications who have ruined my reputation in the public eye through false narratives. They have called me a gold digger and accused me of having a relationship with a con artist Sukesh Chandrasekhar.”She further elaborated, “This has caused me a loss of financial gain and reputation. The reason why I have filed this case is because of the ongoing ED [enforcement directorate] case against Sukesh, who was accused of conning a sum of ₹200 crore that I have nothing to do with and neither do I know anything.”“I feel that I have been used as a scapegoat in this case in the media to safeguard certain people, and because I am an outsider, I have been taken as a soft target, and I want compensation for all the damages caused to my career,” the Bhuj actor added.In her statement, Nora also mentioned that Jacqueline had stated in the media why the ED listed her as a witness in the case and herself as an accused. “This statement has led to prolonged and unnecessary harassment, loss of work and cyberbullying”, according to Nora.The defamation complaint filed by Nora Fatehi alleges that Jacqueline Fernandez made defamatory remarks initially, which were later propagated by various media organisations. These entities acted in collusion with each other, as part of a conspiracy hatched by Jacqueline Fernandez to cause financial, social, and personal harm to Nora, the complaint says.Jacquelines statement caused huge, irreparable damage to career: Nora FatehiThe Patiala House Court, after recording Nora Fatehis statement, announced that another witness in the matter will have their statement recorded in September.Through her complaint, Nora claimed that Jacquelines false statement had a malicious intent to absolve herself from unrelated criminal proceedings, which further harmed her reputation.“…The reputation of any person in the film industry is an asset and any dent in the same would cause a huge and irreparable damage to their career,” Noras complaint said.Noras advocates Vikram Singh Chauhan, Umair Ahmed, and Tanisha contended that Jacqueline made a false and unwarranted statement, knowing the importance of reputation in the entertainment industry.Different investigation agencies have questioned Nora Fatehi and Jacqueline Fernandez in relation to the ₹200 crore extortion case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar and others.
