Rajpal Yadav has been caught in a legal tussle over a Rs 9 crore cheque bounce case and was recently sent to Tihar Jail. In a fresh update, the Delhi High Court has granted him relief by extending his interim bail until April 1. The actor is now reportedly preparing to contest the matter in court rather than opting for a settlement.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the High Court observed that Rajpal had already made significant payments to the complainant, and therefore chose not to revoke the earlier order suspending his sentence in the cheque bounce cases. The interim protection has now been extended till the next hearing date.
After the latest order from the court, the actor’s lawyer SK Sharma has now revealed that Rajpal intends to fight the case legally. He said in a video shared by ANI, “Court ne Rajpal ji se pucha ke aapne samay samay pe kahan hai ke aap paise dena chahthe ho, toh aap settle kar rahe ho ya nahi? To Rajpal ji ne kaha ke ab settle nahi karna chahte, argument karne hai. Aur phir uski application de di. Ab uski argument hoi. Court ne April 1 ki date di hai (The court asked Rajpal ji that since he had earlier said at various times that he was willing to pay the money, whether he now intends to settle the matter or not.
Rajpal ji responded that he no longer wishes to settle and wants to argue the case. Following this, an application was submitted. The court has now given the next date of hearing as April 1). ”
After the hearing, Rajpal himself expressed confidence in the judicial process, stating, “The next hearing is on April 1. I have complete faith in the judicial system of India. Dudh ka dudh aur pani ka pani nikalne ki puri koshish karenge. (We will try to dig out the truth).”
The bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that the actor was cooperating with the legal proceedings and had already spent time in custody. “I don’t find any reason. He’s not running away. He’s here. He’s coming to court, and he has also been in jail. He’s already on bail; I’m not sending him to jail. He’s made some substantial payments. So I’ll not send him to jail, right now,” the judge remarked.
The case dates back to 2010, when Rajpal borrowed Rs 5 crore from Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial venture Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The film failed at the box office, leading to mounting losses and a prolonged financial dispute. In 2018, a magistrate court convicted the actor under the Negotiable Instruments Act for cheque dishonour, sentencing him to six months in jail, a ruling later upheld by a sessions court in 2019. Over time, the liability escalated to nearly Rs 9 crore.
Rajpal had earlier secured interim bail and was released from jail on February 16. The High Court had initially granted relief till March 18, with conditions including a Rs 1 lakh bail bond and one surety. He was also directed to deposit Rs 1.5 crore, which was confirmed by the complainant’s counsel as received in the company’s account against the bounced cheque amount, paving the way for his bail.
