Rajpal Yadav Gets Relief In Cheque Bounce Case, Supreme Court Orders Passport Release

The Supreme Court has referred Rajpal Yadav's long-running cheque bounce case involving Rs 9 crore to mediation for an amicable settlement.

Rajpal Yadav's counsel informed the court that the remaining Rs 85 lakh was deposited with the court registry on October 13.

The Supreme Court directed the trial court to release Rajpal Yadav's passport. His counsel submitted that the actor needs to travel to Canada for an upcoming event, which would help him earn some money and ease his financial burden.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) asked why the two parties could not sit together and settle the dispute mutually.

During the previous hearing, the court had ordered the immediate deposit of Rs 1.15 crore, along with the remaining Rs 85 lakh by October 13.

The dispute pertains to seven cheque bounce cases involving Murli Projects Private Limited, in which the Delhi High Court had previously convicted Yadav and sentenced him to three months' imprisonment in each case.

During an earlier hearing, the actor deposited Rs 1.25 crore, while the court directed him to deposit the remaining amount of around Rs 85 lakh by October 13.

Following the development, Rajpal Yadav spoke exclusively to NDTV, expressing his happiness and gratitude towards the court.

Sharing his emotions during the conversation, Rajpal Yadav said, "For a very long time, I had been dreaming about this. We had a film called Jungle, which began production in 1999 and was released in 2000. There was a dialogue in it, 'Now it's my turn.'"

The actor recalled the popular dialogue from his old film, which he felt perfectly reflected his present circumstances.

Taking the thought forward with a smile, he said, "After so long, thanks to everyone. Now I can say, 'Now it's my turn!'"

When asked about the Supreme Court's decision and the hearing, the actor expressed his gratitude and said, "I am extremely thankful. All I wanted was to get an opportunity to present my side, and I was allowed to do so. I was given the opportunity to put forward my case, and for that I bow to the Supreme Court with immense respect."

Asked about the payment of the outstanding amount and the upcoming deadline, Rajpal Yadav made it clear that the court's directions would be fully complied with.

"We will do it on the 13th as well, and whatever the honourable court orders going forward, we will comply with that too. There is no difficulty from our side," he said.

Expressing complete faith in the judicial process, he added, "Whatever happens will be paramount. I believe that truth will remain truth and falsehood will remain falsehood."

During the conversation, when asked about the court's directions concerning ancestral property, the actor specially thanked his friend Anand Prakash Yadav.

"Thanks to Anand Prakash Yadav, who supported us in depositing the money on the basis of the land. I am extremely grateful to him," he said.

What Is The Case About?

The case relates to financial assistance of Rs 5 crore that Rajpal Yadav allegedly received from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd for a film in 2010.

According to the complainant, Rajpal Yadav later issued seven cheques of Rs 1.05 crore each towards settlement of the amount, but all the cheques were dishonoured.

The complainant also said that an agreement signed in 2012 stated that Rajpal Yadav, his wife Radha and their company had agreed to repay around Rs 11 crore, including interest.

The dispute has been going on for several years. On September 15, the Supreme Court had extended Rajpal Yadav's exemption from surrendering until October 5 and gave him what it described as a last opportunity to come up with a payment proposal.

"He is perfect at doing drama... Earlier orders of the court have not been complied with," the bench had said at the time, adding that Yadav's conduct did not inspire confidence.

Appearing for Rajpal Yadav, senior advocate PS Patwalia had sought two weeks to work out a concrete proposal for clearing the outstanding amount. He had also said the actor would deposit Rs 2 crore to show his bona fides.

Patwalia told the court that Rajpal Yadav had spent four-and-a-half months in prison and that friends from the entertainment industry had helped bail him out.

Sinha, appearing for M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, said the complainant was primarily concerned with recovering the money, as Rajpal Yadav had not honoured his commitments.

Delhi High Court Conviction

The Supreme Court had on September 8 issued notice on Rajpal Yadav's plea and said that, subject to a deposit of Rs 5 crore with its registry, he would be exempted from surrendering.

Earlier, on July 10, the Delhi High Court upheld Rajpal Yadav's conviction in multiple cheque-bounce cases and sentenced him to three months in prison.

The high court refused to condone a delay of 1,894 days - more than five years - in filing petitions challenging the conviction. It also directed Rajpal Yadav to pay more than Rs 1 crore to the complainant in each of the seven cases.

The court said around Rs 2 crore already paid by the actor would be adjusted against the dues. It also kept his sentence in abeyance for two months to allow him to approach the appellate court.

The High Court further directed Rajpal Yadav's wife to pay around Rs 5.5 lakh as a fine to the complainant in each case. If she failed to pay, she would have to undergo simple imprisonment for three months.

The High Court's verdict came on revision petitions filed by Rajpal Yadav and his wife against a 2019 sessions court order, which had upheld their conviction by a magistrate in April 2018.

The magistrate had initially sentenced Rajpal Yadav to six months in prison. The sentence was later reduced to three months.