The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday came down heavily on Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav over the long-standing Rs 2 crore cheque bounce case, expressing serious doubts about whether he could be trusted to honour his financial commitments. During the hearing, the apex court granted him two more weeks to deposit Rs 2 crore in connection with the cheque bounce cases. 

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi as well as Justice V Mohana questioned Yadav’s earlier conduct before granting him what it called a ‘last opportunity’ to comply with an earlier order. 

The bench remarked, “Knowing his past conduct, how can anybody on earth trust him?,” while hearing Yadav’s application seeking more time to arrange the money. 

SC extends protection from surrender

On September 8, the top court had exempted Yadav from surrendering, on the condition that he deposit Rs 2 crore within 24 hours. The court has now extended the exemption until October 5 and has paved the way for him to arrange the amount within 2 weeks. 

The bench also clarified that the extension was a final opportunity for the comedy actor to demonstrate his bona fides and honour the undertaking. 

Concurrently, the judges also reflected upon the opportunities granted to Yadav earlier by the Delhi High Court (HC) to fulfil his commitment to repay a loan taken for producing a film in 2010. Back then, the Delhi HC had sentenced Yadav and his wife to three months of imprisonment on July 10. Senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing on behalf of Yadav, told the SC that the actor was genuinely facing financial hurdles and needed a ‘breather’ to arrange Rs 2 crore. 

He said Yadav’s mother owned immovable property that could be used to raise the required funds. 

“Don’t perform drama before court”: SC bench

During the hearing, the bench also referred to Yadav’s profession, warning him against treating court proceedings like a performance. The bench said, “Our only concern is that he does not perform such drama with the court, what he is known to do perfectly in Bollywood.” 

Despite its reservations, the court took a lenient view and granted the 2-week extension, clarifying that no further opportunity would be readily available. Patwalia contended that sending Yadav back to jail would also prevent the complainant from recovering the money. 

He said, “For over four months, he has remained in jail until his fraternity came together to bail him out. If he does not honour now, the writing on the wall is very much clear.”

Loan dispute dates back to 2010

The proceedings stem from a criminal case filed by Murli Projects, which alleged that Yadav had borrowed a Rs 5 crore loan in 2010 to produce Ata Pata Lapata. As per the complainant, he had committed to repaying Rs 8 crore but defaulted later. Representing Murli Projects, senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha told the top court that repeated attempts to recover the money had failed. He claimed that the principal amount due stood at Rs 7.5 crore, excluding interest. 

Sinha also shunned Yadav’s claim regarding the immovable property, saying that the property was already under mortgage. 

Yadav had sought release of probation after being sentenced by the trial court in May 2024. The Delhi HC later upheld his conviction after providing him opportunities to honour his undertaking to repay the loan. 

The HC had noted that Yadav and his wife paid Rs 2.25 crore to Murli Projects during the pendency of the proceedings.