The Delhi High Court on February 4 refused to grant any further leniency to Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, rejecting his plea to extend the deadline for surrendering to jail authorities. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma maintained that the actor must surrender by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, following his conviction in multiple cheque bounce cases. The court observed that Yadav had consistently failed to honor his legal commitments.
During the proceedings, Yadav's counsel informed the court that the actor had managed to arrange ₹50 lakh and requested an additional week to facilitate the payment. However, the bench was unmoved, noting that similar requests had been made at least 15 to 20 times in the past without compliance. The court stated that the actor's conduct deserved to be deprecated due to repeated breaches of undertakings given to the judiciary.
- Financial Default — Yadav owes approximately ₹9 crore to M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.
- Sentence Details — A magisterial court had sentenced the actor to six months in prison.
- Legal History — The cases involve seven separate instances of cheque bounces of ₹1.35 crore each.
The legal battle stems from a 2018 conviction by a magisterial court, which was later upheld by a sessions court in 2019. Rajpal Yadav and his wife had challenged these decisions through revision petitions. While the Delhi High Court had temporarily suspended the conviction in June 2024 to allow for a settlement, it noted that no "sincere and genuine measures" were taken by the actor to resolve the debt.
The court further clarified that the ₹1.5 crore already deposited with the registrar general should be released to the complainant, M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd. Justice Sharma remarked, "I don't think there is any ground for him for any leniency anymore," highlighting that Yadav was already granted a two-day grace period because he was in Mumbai. The actor's legal team described the situation as a "mercy plea," but the court remained firm on the surrender deadline.
