The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave actor Rajpal Yadav two more weeks to arrange and deposit ₹2 crore in connection with cheque-bounce cases, while making it clear that this would be his final opportunity to comply with its earlier order.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, extended its earlier protection from surrender until October 5. The court also directed Yadav to deposit his passport with the registry within two days.
The actor had approached the Supreme Court seeking more time to comply with its September 8 order. That order had allowed him to remain out of custody on the condition that he deposit ₹2 crore within 24 hours.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the bench questioned whether Yadav could be trusted given his previous conduct in the matter. The judges referred to the repeated opportunities he had received from the Delhi High Court to honour his commitment to repay the money.
The Supreme Court ultimately granted the requested two-week extension, but stressed that it was a “last opportunity” for the actor to demonstrate his bona fides.
Senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Yadav, told the court that his client was facing genuine financial difficulties and needed some additional time to arrange the money. He said Yadav's mother owned immovable property that could potentially be used to raise the funds.
The bench, however, expressed concern about repeated assurances made in the past. Referring to Yadav's profession, the judges remarked that his theatrical abilities were well known in Bollywood but said they did not want similar “drama” to be played out before the court.
The case relates to a loan taken by Yadav in 2010 for producing the film Ata Pata Lapata. According to the complainant, Murli Projects, the actor had taken a ₹5 crore loan and committed to repay ₹8 crore, but failed to meet the repayment obligation.
Representing Murli Projects, senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha told the court that several attempts to recover the money had failed. He also claimed that the principal amount now stood at ₹7.5 crore, excluding interest. Sinha further told the bench that the immovable property referred to by Yadav was already under mortgage.
Patwalia argued that sending Yadav back to jail would not help the complainant recover the money. He pointed out that the actor had already spent more than four months in custody before members of the film fraternity helped secure his release.
The legal dispute has been continuing for several years. Yadav had sought release on probation after a trial court sentenced him in May 2024. The Delhi High Court later upheld the sentence and noted that he and his wife had already paid ₹2.25 crore to Murli Projects during the proceedings.
The High Court had earlier sentenced both Yadav and his wife to three months’ imprisonment after giving them several opportunities to honour their repayment undertaking.
With the Supreme Court now allowing another two weeks, Yadav has until the extended deadline to arrange the ₹2 crore deposit. The court's warning that this is his final opportunity indicates that failure to comply could have serious consequences for his protection from surrender.
Reader Comments 0