Rajpal Yadav’s cheque-bounce cases were back in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 15. The actor appeared through his lawyer as the court looked into the pending dues and the earlier orders passed in the matter.
The case has been going on for several years, with Yadav facing proceedings over money allegedly owed to a private company. The latest hearing brought some relief for the actor, but the Supreme Court also made it clear that he has limited time to settle the matter.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, gave Yadav two weeks to come up with a concrete plan to clear the outstanding amount. The court also asked him to deposit Rs 2 crore with the court registry.
The bench also extended
his exemption from surrendering until October 5. The case will be heard again on the same day.
The judges were unhappy that some of the earlier directions had not been followed. During the hearing, the bench said, “He is perfect at doing drama but this court. Earlier orders of the court have not been complied with,”
Despite this, the court decided to give Yadav one final opportunity to resolve the issue.
Senior advocate PS Patwalia, who appeared for Yadav, asked for two weeks to submit a payment proposal. He also told the court that the actor would deposit Rs 2 crore to show his bona fides.
Patwalia also said that Yadav had already spent four-and-a-half months in prison. According to his submission, the actor would need help from friends in the entertainment industry to arrange the money.
Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, appearing for the complainant, M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, said that the company was mainly interested in getting its money back. He also told the court that Yadav had not honoured his commitments.
The dispute goes back to 2010, when Yadav allegedly received financial assistance of Rs 5 crore for a film. According to the complainant, he later issued seven cheques of Rs 1.05 crore each in 2013 as part of a settlement. The cheques were allegedly dishonoured.
The complainant also claimed that an agreement signed in 2012 required Yadav, his wife Radha Rajpal Yadav and their company to repay around Rs 11 crore, including interest.
The case has been in court for years. In April 2018, a magisterial court convicted Yadav in the cheque-bounce cases and sentenced him to six months in prison. In 2019, a sessions court upheld his conviction but reduced the sentence to three months.
On July 10, the Delhi High Court upheld his conviction in all seven cheque-bounce cases and sentenced him to three months in prison.
The High Court also ordered Yadav to pay more than Rs 1 crore to the complainant in each of the seven cases. Around Rs 2 crore that he had already paid was to be adjusted against the amount.
His wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, was also ordered to pay a fine of around Rs 5.5 lakh in each case. If she failed to pay, she would face simple imprisonment for three months.
On September 8, the Supreme Court had issued notice on Yadav’s plea and allowed him to remain out of custody subject to a Rs 5 crore deposit with the court registry.
At Tuesday’s hearing, the court gave him another two weeks to submit a concrete proposal for clearing the dues and ordered him to deposit Rs 2 crore. His exemption from surrendering will remain in place until October 5.
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