Actor Nora Fatehi must appear before a Delhi court on 6 November to give evidence in the ₹200-crore extortion case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.
The court issued fresh summons after she missed an earlier scheduled appearance, The Hindu reports.
Additional Sessions Judge Gagandeep Singh issued the summons on 2 November and expressed displeasure over Fatehi’s absence.
Her lawyer sought an exemption from personal appearance, but the judge stressed that witnesses must take court proceedings seriously.
“This cannot be taken lightly… As a witness, you should have appeared in court; your conduct is not proper, don’t take the court for granted…,” the judge remarked.
Delhi Police told the court that it had no confirmation of Fatehi’s appearance. Officials said they had sent her a notice by email and WhatsApp on 22 October and had also tried contacting her by phone, but received no response.
The court had initially directed officials on 16 October to summon Fatehi, listed as witness LW-3 in the third supplementary chargesheet, for the 2 November hearing.
Individual witnesses are assigned an LW number before they testify and become prosecution witnesses.
The case is being investigated by the Delhi Police Special Cell.
A court has already framed charges against Chandrasekhar, his wife Leena Paulose and others under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including those relating to impersonating a public servant and extortion.
The accused also face charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The prosecution alleges that Chandrasekhar and his associates extorted around ₹200 crore from Aditi Singh, the wife of former Ranbaxy promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh.
According to the police, Chandrasekhar posed as a senior government official while contacting Aditi and allegedly promised to secure her husband’s release from jail in exchange for money.
Chandrasekhar was lodged in Delhi’s Rohini Jail during the alleged operation. Police claim he used spoofed phone calls to make his communications appear as though they came from government officials.
Fatehi’s name surfaced during the investigation, which also involved statements from other Bollywood personalities, including actor Jacqueline Fernandez. The police chargesheet records statements from several people as part of the case.
Fatehi has been summoned to assist the court as a witness. Being called to testify does not mean she is an accused in the extortion case.
