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Bollywood’s Nora Fatehi has filed a defamation case against fellow actor Jacqueline Fernandez before a Delhi court, according to Indian media, as the Canadian-Moroccan actor believes Fernandez made defamatory statements in order to destroy her career. Both actors were questioned in a money laundering case filed against supposed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

According to The Indian Express, Fatehi’s plea said that the Ram Setu actor “made defamatory imputations” due to malicious reasons with an intent of “destroying her career to further her own interests.” The plea also included media houses that published the details about Fatehi’s connection with the extortion case.

The publication said that Fatehi’s plea included Fernandez’s written statement where she had said that she was “falsely implicated by ED while celebs such as Nora Fatehi who had received gifts from Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar had been made witnesses.”

“Jacqueline Fernandez sought to criminally defame the complainant 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,” Fatehi’s plea read.

The petition claimed that Fatehi lost out on a lot of opportunities such as a Dubai-based concert and 10 city tours in the US and Canada after the allegations made by Fernandez. It mentioned that she had to renegotiate a settlement with a brand at 50 per cent of her original fees.

As far as the claims by Fernandez are concerned, Fatehi denied receiving any gifts from the alleged conman and said the only time she had ever spoken to him was when his wife made her speak to him over the phone at an event.

In the plea, she acknowledged an iPhone and a handbag from Gucci that she received as gifts from Chandrashekhar’s wife, Leena. About a luxury car, Fatehi said that a payment was made for directing a movie and it was her brother-in-law who was approached by Chandrashekhar, instead of her.

A Delhi court was due to hear arguments on charges against Fernandez but adjourned the hearing to December 20.