Cinema VinesThe Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered actor Rajpal Yadav to deposit ₹5 crore with the court registry by Wednesday, a condition for keeping him from surrendering to serve a sentence in a cheque‑bounce case involving film producer‑financier Murli Projects Pvt Ltd. The decision came after Yadav, who had been held in Tihar Jail over the same case, filed a plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s July 10 judgment that upheld his conviction and a three‑month imprisonment in seven Section 138 Negotiable Instruments Act cases.
In the hearing, a bench led by Chief Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana granted a conditional notice, stating that the matter would be heard again on September 15. The Delhi High Court had previously required Yadav to surrender by September 10, after rejecting his criminal revisions against the conviction and sentence.
The dispute originates from seven complaints lodged by Murli Projects against Yadav, his wife Radha, and their film production company for dishonouring seven cheques issued to finance the film “Ata Pata Lapata.” In 2010, Yadav borrowed ₹5 crore from the company for his directorial debut, but the film failed commercially. The unpaid dues, plus interest, pushed the debt to nearly ₹9 crore, sparking a prolonged legal battle.
Yadav’s counsel had previously informed the court that about ₹4.25 crore had already been paid. In 2018, a magistrate convicted Yadav and his wife, sentencing him to six months in jail; the sessions court upheld the conviction in 2019. Yadav appealed to the Delhi High Court, which in June 2024 temporarily suspended his sentence and directed him to take “sincere and genuine measures” to repay the debt. After failing to clear the dues, he surrendered in February and was sent to Tihar Jail. He received interim bail on February 16 after depositing ₹1.5 crore, with the court confirming the payment with the complainant’s lawyer. The High Court later ruled that he would not be taken back into custody even after the earlier interim order was set aside, though it denied his request for a 30‑day extension to arrange the loan.
During this period, several Bollywood stars—including Sonu Sood, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan and Gurmeet Choudhary—offered their support to Yadav. The Supreme Court’s latest directive now requires him to meet the ₹5 crore deposit deadline to avoid further legal complications.
