The Supreme Court pulled up actor Rajpal Yadav on Monday for failing to deposit money in a cheque-bounce case. The court gave him until Tuesday to pay the dues. Justice Joymalya Bagchi warned the actor, "Your place is in jail," after he missed the deadline to clear his outstanding debts.
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up actor Rajpal Yadav for failing to comply with its direction to deposit money in connection with a long-running cheque-bounce case involving private firm M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.
According to PTI, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana had given Rajpal Yadav two weeks to come up with a concrete proposal to clear the outstanding dues on September 15. It had also directed him to deposit Rs 2 crore with the court registry.
That deadline ended on Monday, but the payment had not been made.
During the hearing, Rajpal Yadav's counsel said, "They (complainant) are not poor."
The remark did not go down well with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who said, "They may be richer than you, but they are poor to the extent you have swindled them. This arrogance needs to be put in its right place. You should know when to open your mouth. Your place is in jail".
The court directed that the payment be made by Tuesday and listed the matter for Wednesday as the first case.
The bench said it could dismiss Rajpal Yadav's appeal but was reluctant to do so as that could affect the complainant's chances of recovering the money. It also noted that the actor had been directed to make the payment by Monday but had failed to do so.
During the hearing, Rapal Yadav's counsel produced a copy of a demand draft for Rs 50 lakh and said it was being processed by the bank.
"Is this genuine or not? We don't know," the bench said.
The complainant's lawyer, senior advocate Ajit Sinha, accused Rajpal Yadav of repeatedly failing to follow court directions.
"He is a film actor. He is acting here also. He has no respect for the majesty of the institution," Sinha 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.