Delhi High Court grants relief to Rajpal Yadav in cheque bounce case
Veteran actor Rajpal Yadav has been granted continued relief by the Delhi High Court in a cheque bounce case, with the court ruling that he will not be sent to jail for now.
The actor, who was released from Tihar Jail last month on interim bail, has made substantial payments toward the defaulted amount, prompting the court to extend his relief until April 1.
Rajpal Yadav, known for his work in Hindi cinema, was sent to Tihar Jail earlier after a conviction in a cheque bounce case linked to a ₹5 crore loan he had taken in 2010 to fund his directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata (2012).
Following the film’s box-office failure, Yadav faced repayment issues, leading to the bouncing of seven cheques issued to Delhi-based Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.
In April 2018, he and his wife Radha were convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, with the sentence later upheld by a Sessions Court in 2019.
The actor was granted interim bail on February 16, 2026, after depositing ₹1.5 crore against the bounced cheque amount.
During Wednesday’s hearing, a bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that Yadav had made “substantial payments” and was attending court proceedings regularly. “I don’t find any reason. He’s not running away. He’s here.
He’s coming to court, and he has also been in jail. He’s already on bail; I’m not sending him to jail. He’s made some substantial payments. So I’ll not send him to jail, right now,” the judge said.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma also highlighted that leniency cannot be extended indefinitely, irrespective of celebrity status, recalling Yadav’s failure to honour nearly 20 undertakings in the past.
The court’s decision to maintain the interim suspension of sentence ensures Yadav remains free while continuing to clear his outstanding dues.
Rajpal Yadav’s case, stretching over more than a decade, underscores the challenges of loan defaults and the legal consequences that follow, even for high-profile personalities in the entertainment industry.