Supreme Court gives Rajpal Yadav two more weeks to pay Rs 2 crore, says ‘no faith’ in actor

PTC Web Desk:  The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave actor Rajpal Yadav another two weeks to arrange Rs 2 crore in connection with cheque bounce cases, while making it clear that it had serious doubts about whether he would honour his commitment.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said Yadav had already been given several opportunities in the past. The court questioned why anyone should trust the actor given his earlier conduct before the Delhi High Court.

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Senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Rajpal Yadav, asked for two weeks to arrange the money. He told the court that Yadav’s mother owns immovable property and that it could be used to raise the required funds.

The Bench agreed to the request but described it as a final chance for Yadav to demonstrate his bona fides. His protection from surrender has now been extended until October 5.

The judges also referred to Yadav’s acting career while warning him against making promises to the court that he could not keep.

The court recalled that the Delhi High Court had already given Rajpal Yadav several opportunities to fulfil his commitment to repay the money borrowed for producing a film.

The Delhi High Court sentenced Yadav and his wife to three months in prison on July 10.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Rajpal Yadav’s lawyer argued that sending him back to jail would not help the complainant recover the money. He said Yadav had already spent more than four months in jail before members of the film industry helped secure his release.

The case relates to a loan taken by Yadav in 2010 for the production of the film 'Ata Pata Lapata'. The complainant, Murli Projects, alleged that Yadav had borrowed Rs 5 crore and had agreed to repay Rs 8 crore but failed to meet the commitment.

Senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, appearing for Murli Projects, told the Supreme Court that efforts to recover the money had not succeeded. He claimed that the principal amount itself had reached Rs 7.5 crore, excluding interest.

Sinha also told the court that the property Yadav's side referred to for arranging the Rs 2 crore was already under mortgage.

Yadav had earlier sought release on probation after a trial court sentenced him in May 2024. The Delhi High Court later upheld the order after giving him further opportunities to comply with his repayment undertaking.

The High Court had also noted that Yadav and his wife had paid Rs 2.25 crore to Murli Projects during the proceedings.