New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday issued a strict directive to Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, ordering him to deposit Rs 5 crore with the court’s registry by Wednesday if he wishes to avoid surrendering to authorities in a protracted cheque-bounce case.
The conditional relief comes as a crucial, albeit temporary, reprieve for the actor, who was facing a strict September 10 deadline to surrender. The Delhi High Court had previously upheld his conviction and a three-month prison sentence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Yadav, who originally hails from Kundra village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district and is renowned for his comic roles in Hindi cinema, had challenged the Delhi High Court’s July ruling in the apex court, seeking urgent relief.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, heard the urgent oral mentioning by Yadav’s legal counsel. The bench issued a conditional notice on his plea, making it clear that the exemption from surrendering is strictly contingent upon the massive financial deposit.
“Subject to deposit of Rs 5 crores by the petitioners with the Registry of this Court by tomorrow, they are granted exemption from surrendering,” the Supreme Court bench observed during the proceedings.
The legal dispute dates back to 2010 when Murli Projects Pvt Ltd, a film production and financing company, advanced a loan of Rs 5 crore to Yadav and his wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, for their directorial debut film, Ata Pata Lapata. Following multiple delays in the film’s release and subsequent repayment renegotiations, several cheques issued by the actor eventually bounced, prompting the financiers to file seven separate criminal complaints against him.
The trial court had originally convicted Yadav in 2018, noting his repeated failure to honor the financial commitments made to the complainant and his continuous default on undertakings given to the courts. The Delhi High Court had also come down heavily on the actor recently, refusing to grant him the benefit of probation due to his repeated breaches of judicial assurances and lack of regard for the legal process.
With the apex court stepping in, the immediate threat of incarceration is paused, provided the actor successfully meets the Rs 5 crore deposit condition. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for the matter on September 15, 2026, which will determine the further course of this ongoing legal battle.