The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld actor Rajpal Yadav’s conviction in seven cheque-bounce cases. The court also sentenced him to three months of imprisonment in each case. However, all the jail terms will run at the same time, meaning he will serve only one three-month sentence.
According to Live Law, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed Rajpal Yadav to pay ₹1.05 crore to the complainant in each of the seven cases. In addition, he has been asked to pay ₹1.0475 crore to the complainant and ₹25,000 to the State. The court also ordered Rajpal Yadav’s wife, Radha Yadav, to pay ₹5.51 lakh to the complainant in each case.
The High Court said the trial court had correctly calculated the compensation after considering the amount Rajpal Yadav had already paid as part of an earlier settlement. The court noted that Yadav had already paid ₹2.25 crore to the complainant during the proceedings.
This amount will be adjusted while calculating the remaining compensation he has to pay.
The court observed that an earlier bench had given Rajpal Yadav several opportunities to settle the dispute after he expressed his willingness to resolve the matter amicably. However, despite repeated opportunities, he failed to honour the settlement and did not fulfil the promises made before the court.
According to the judgment, Rajpal eventually refused to make any further payments and told the court that he was ready to go to prison instead.
What is the case about?
Rajpal Yadav got into this legal trouble over allegations of cheque-bounce offences. In 2010, he borrowed approximately ₹5 crore. Due to accumulating interest, penalties and payment delays, the debt increased to nearly ₹9 crore. Rajpal attempted to settle the debt with cheques that were dishonoured, leading to criminal charges under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
The actor was later directed by the Delhi High Court to surrender and was sent to Tihar Jail. The court took this decision after he repeatedly missed deadlines for settlement payments set by the court and failed to honour the commitments he had made.
Why did he take ₹5 crore loan?
In 2010, Rajpal Yadav thought of stepping in the film direction, for which he borrowed ₹5 crore from Murali Projects Pvt Ltd. He took this amount to finance his film “Ata Pata Laapata.” However, the film did not work well at the box office and failed. This resulted in financial difficulties, and Rajpal Yadav struggled to repay the loan. Consequently, several repayment cheques bounced, resulting in a case filed under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Rajpal gets emotional after surrendering to jail
Before surrendering, Rajpal Yadav expressed his financial struggles in court. According to a News X report, he said, “Sir, kya karoon? Mere paas paise nahin hain (Sir, what to do? I have no money). ‘Aur koi upaay nahin dikhta… Sir, yahan hum sab akele hain (There is no other option, we all are alone here).
Sonu Sood offers help
Sonu Sood shared a post on X and Instagram Stories, writing: “Rajpal Yadav is a very talented actor who has given many memorable performances to our film industry. Sometimes life can be unfair, but that does not mean someone lacks talent.
Time can sometimes be very harsh. He will be part of my film, and I believe this is the time for producers, directors and collaborators to stand together. The signing amount he receives, which can be adjusted against future work, is not a donation. It is a matter of his respect and dignity.”
Other actors also offered help to Rajpal Yadav
Actor Gurmeet Choudhary has also offered support to Rajpal Yadav, urging others in the film industry to do the same. Some politicians have also come forward to offer help. Tej Pratap Yadav, president of Jan Shakti Janata Dal and son of Lalu Yadav, has offered significant financial assistance, donating ₹11 lakh to Rajpal Yadav and his family. This combined support aims to ease the challenges faced by the actor and his loved ones.
According to an India TV report, after surrendering, Rajpal once again appeared before the Delhi High Court and sought relief. He told the court that he had brought a cheque for ₹25 lakh and assured the court that he would pay the remaining amount as well. He requested relief on this basis.
However, the court clearly stated that surrender was necessary before any relief could be considered. The court said that only after surrender would it examine whether any relief could be granted.
The High Court also clarified that the relief granted earlier was based on repeated assurances that the dispute would be resolved amicably and that the complainant company would be paid. However, the court found that, despite being given several opportunities, these assurances were not honoured. According to the court, around ₹9 crore remains outstanding.
Relief withdrawn for repeatedly failing to comply with court orders
Earlier, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma said that the trial court’s sentence had been stayed in June 2024 only to give Rajpal Yadav time to resolve the matter. The court noted that several deadlines had been granted, but the payments amounting to crores of rupees were not made.
The court also rejected the explanation that technical or typographical errors in the demand draft had caused the delay. The court said these arguments were not credible. It further observed that the assurances had been given openly through senior lawyers and that additional time had been granted solely on the basis of the petitioner’s instructions.
