Sukesh Chandrashekhar, a conman accused of multi-crore fraud, has threatened to “expose” actor Jacqueline Fernandez after she requested the court to restrain him from issuing any letter to her. He issued a statement today from Delhi’s Mandoli jail where he remains incarcerated in an Rs 200 crore money laundering case.

“I never expected this even in my wildest dreams, but I guess “heart” is made to always be shattered or broken,” read the handwritten letter that did not name Ms Fernandez.

Realization is very important for one, but you can’t let anyone stab you or take you for granted, he said while expressing “shock” over the actor’s move.

“I was shocked frozen as after all that you do, protect, safeguard someone, they turn around, stab you back hard, as they think now that they are safe and act victimized and start blame games, and point saying “look here is the Devil, the Bad Guy,” said Sukesh.

He said Ms Fernandez’s move has made him the “devil” and this leaves him no other choice but to expose the “reality”.

“So, with shattered heart, I have decided not to stay hurt, numb or quiet, one should know truth is very powerful. Now it’s time, World needs to know the truth, the reality and now I will go all out to expose anything in accordance to law,” he said in his statement.

The conman said he will furnish all “unseen” evidences kept secret thus far to protect her, before the court and the agencies. This includes chats, screenshots, recordings, overseas financial transactions, investments, according to the letter.

“Even the smallest fact of payments worth few million USD paid for social platform enhancement to compete and race against a very prominent individual colleague of this person also will be brought in open with all the relevant payment invoice paid by me, as in accordance of Indian Evidence Act,” he said.

The case will take a new turn after the revelations are made, he said, alleging that the probe was biased since he was protecting her interest.

Ms Fernandes has been questioned multiple times by probe agencies in the laundering case against the conman.

She was also confronted with the conman by the investigators last year, during which she admitted to receiving expensive gifts from the conman that included designer handbags, car and diamonds.

Enforcement Directorate sources had claimed she received gifts worth Rs 10 crore, including a horse worth Rs 52 lakh and a Persian cat worth Rs 9 lakh.

On Wednesday, she requested the Patiala House Court to restrain him from issuing any letter or statement for her. The request came after Sukesh wrote her multiple letters from jail, including one on his birthday and another on Easter.

A day after Sakshee Mallikh announced that she was quitting the sport to protest the election of a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India, another top wrestler, Bajrang Punia, said on Friday that he has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be returning his Padma Shri to him.

Mr Punia was one of the wrestlers who had protested against Brij Bhushan, a BJP MP and former chief of the wrestling body, who was accused of sexual harassment by at least 12 women wrestlers. 

After making an announcement on X, the Olympic medal-winning wrestler reached Kartavya Path on Friday evening and kept the Padma Shri medallion on a footpath there. It was later picked up by police personnel.

Mr Punia said “When the women wrestlers are not given due respect, I do not deserve this honour either. We were on the road for 40 days, but the promises made by the government have not been fulfilled. Our fight is not against the government, but against an individual. I believe in the judiciary but, with what is happening, I can’t keep faith in the system.”

Asked whether anything would change for him as far as wrestling is concerned, the Olympian said, “This will not have an impact on my wrestling career, and I am preparing for the Paris Olympics.”

‘Spent Whole Night Crying’

Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, won the election to the wrestling federation by a landslide on Thursday, defeating Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran, who was backed by the protesting wrestlers. Mr Singh got 40 votes against only 7 for Ms Sheoran.

In an emotional letter to PM Modi, Mr Punia pointed to Brij Bhushan’s remark after the election results on Thursday, when he had said, “dabdaba tha, dabdaba rahega” (our dominance will continue). The Olympian said it was this mental pressure that forced Ms Mallikh to quit the sport and that the wrestlers involved in the protest spent the whole night crying. 

“I couldn’t understand where to go, what to do and how to live. The government and the people gave me so much respect. Should I continue to suffocate under the burden of this respect? In the year 2019, I was awarded the Padma Shri. I was also honoured with the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. I was very happy when I received these honours. It seemed that life had been successful. But, today, I am much unhappier than I was happy at the time, and these honours are suffocating me,” Mr Punia wrote in Hindi.

“There is only one reason for this: It was wrestling that got me these honours and female wrestlers are now having to quit that very sport for their safety,” he added.

‘Women Making India Proud’

The wrestler said sport has made a huge difference to the lives of girls and that no one could have imagined boys and girls playing together in the villages. He said women are making India proud in sports arenas on the international stage and asserted that this had only been possible because of the courage of the first generation of sportswomen.

“But even the shadow of those who have dominated or will continue to dominate scares women wrestlers, and now they have completely taken over again. The photo of them with garlands around their necks must have reached you,” Mr Punia said in his letter to the PM.

“The daughters who were to become the brand ambassadors of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ were put in such a situation that they had to step back from their sport. We ‘respectable’ wrestlers could not do anything. I will not be able to live my life as ‘respectable’ after female wrestlers were insulted. Such a life would be suffocating. That’s why I am returning this ‘honour’ to you,” the letter said. 

Vir Das recently shared a moment from Amitabh Bachchan’s quiz show where Bachchan asked a question about Vir’s Emmy Awards win. Vir took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a clip of the Kaun Banega Crorepati episode.

The question featured was “In 2023, which Indian was a joint winner of the International Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series?” The options included, “A. Kapil Sharma, B. Mallika Dua, C. Vir Das, and D. Zakir Khan.” Despite the correct answer being C, the contestant chose option B.

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— Vir Das (@thevirdas) December 22, 2023

Amitabh Bachchan clarified to the contestant that the right answer was Vir, mentioning it had been recent news. He also praised Vir and his work. In a subsequent edited video, Vir was shown in his car, visibly moved and emotional, placing his hand on his chest. Sharing this video, Vir added emojis with a smiling face, smiling eyes, and folded hands.

Vir secured the prestigious International Emmy Award for Comedy for his standup special, Vir Das: Landing. Premiering on OTT, the show competed with productions like Le Flambeau from France, El Encargado from Argentina, and Derry Girls Season 3 from the UK. Vir Das: Landing stands as his fourth comedy special, exploring the essence of global identity while seeking a sense of home.

Earlier, Vir’s third standup special, Vir Das: For India, received a 2021 International Emmy Nomination for Best Comedy.