Delhi High Court sentences Rajpal Yadav to 3 months' imprisonment in cheque bounce case

The Delhi High Court on Friday sentenced Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav to three months in jail in a cheque bounce case.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma pronounced the verdict in a batch of seven cases filed against Yadav by M/s Murli Projects Private Limited.

The Court sentenced him to three months' simple imprisonment in each of the seven cases but added that the sentences would run concurrently.

It also ordered Yadav to pay ₹1.05 crore in each case. His wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, was ordered to pay a fine of over ₹5 lakh in each case.

Justice Sharma said multiple opportunities were granted to Yadav to honour his undertaking and clear his debt to the company, but he failed to do so.

“Opportunities were granted to honour the settlement. He [Yadav] and his counsel made several statements and assurances, and despite these repeated opportunities and assurances, he failed to honour the undertakings,” the Court observed. 

Justice Sharma added that she was giving Yadav two months to challenge the order before a higher court.

In May 2024, a sessions court had convicted and sentenced him to six months' jail in a cheque bounce case.

The Delhi High Court later suspended his sentence after his counsel assured the Court that the dispute would be settled. The matter was even referred to the Delhi High Court Mediation Centre.

However, the Court later observed that despite repeated assurances and several adjournments sought for settlement, the actor failed to make the promised payments.

The High Court noted that Yadav had not deposited amounts he had assured the Court he would pay, including ₹2.5 crore that he had sought permission to pay in instalments.

In February 2026, the High Court directed Yadav to surrender before jail authorities for failing to comply with its earlier orders. His subsequent plea seeking extension of time to surrender was also rejected.

Yadav ultimately surrendered on February 5 and remained in jail until the High Court later granted him interim suspension of sentence after he deposited ₹1.5 crore with the complainant.

However, since he failed to deposit the remaining amount despite several undertakings, the Court sentenced him to imprisonment for 3 months.