Delhi HC reserves order in Rajpal Yadav cheque bounce case, actor gets emotional and asks to be sent to jail again

Even as the Court made attempts to bring the parties to a negotiated settlement, Rajpal Yadav said he wants to argue the matter instead.

Actor Rajpal Yadav has been at the centre of a legal storm after being sent to Tihar Jail in connection with a ₹9 crore debt and cheque bounce case. As per the latest update on news agency ANI, the Delhi High Court on April 2 reserved its judgment in the cheque bounce case after a final round of settlement efforts failed despite sustained intervention. The actor also made an emotional appeal during the hearing.

Rajpal Yadav had surrendered himself to the Tihar jail authorities in connection with cheque-bounce cases. (PTI)

What Rajpal Yadav told the Court

The latest update states that the matter was heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who expressed visible dissatisfaction with the actor's shifting stand on repayment of dues. The court remarked, “I am not getting my answers. The undertaking said something else, and now you are saying something else.”

Appearing for the complainant company, advocate Avneet Singh Sikka submitted that the actor had already accepted his conviction and could not now evade liability. He highlighted that a revision petition filed in 2024 was accompanied by an unexplained delay of 1894 days and lacked sufficient grounds for condonation. He further argued that completing the sentence does not absolve the accused of financial obligations. Sikka also stressed that despite repeated assurances, the dues remained unpaid, leaving the complainant with no option but to initiate proceedings under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

During the proceedings, the court made earnest attempts to bring the parties to a negotiated settlement. On being asked, the complainant agreed to accept a reduced amount of ₹6 crore as a full and final settlement.

However, in a visibly emotional submission, Rajpal opposed the proposal, stating that he had already suffered severe financial setbacks. Appearing virtually, he told the court that he had been compelled to sell five flats and had already paid a substantial amount. He stated, "I am not emotional... send me to jail five more times."

In an effort to break the deadlock, the court even proposed a structured payment of ₹3 crore within a fixed timeline, clarifying that it was a judicial intervention and not a concluded settlement. Despite this, no consensus could be reached. The court also took strong exception to the manner in which the proceedings unfolded, cautioning, "Never think the judge weak if the judge is nice to you," and noting that valuable judicial time was being wasted.

With settlement efforts collapsing and differences remaining unresolved, the court ultimately reserved its judgment in the matter.

What do we know about the case

The case traces back to 2010, when Rajpal borrowed ₹5 crore from Delhi-based Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to fund his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The film’s commercial failure led to heavy losses and a financial dispute. In 2018, a magisterial court convicted the actor for cheque dishonour under the Negotiable Instruments Act, sentencing him to six months’ imprisonment — a decision upheld by a sessions court in 2019. The amount due eventually rose to nearly ₹9 crore.

Rajpal was granted interim bail and was released from jail on February 16. The Delhi High Court granted the actor interim bail till March 18. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma granted Rajpal interim bail, subject to his depositing ₹1 lakh as bail bond and furnishing one surety. Earlier in the hearing, the court had ordered Rajpal to deposit ₹1.5 crore by 3 PM for interim bail. After the complainant's lawyer, M/S Murli Project, confirmed that the actor had deposited the amount in the company’s bank accounts against the bounced cheque amount, bail was granted.

(via inputs from ANI)