Supreme Court slams Rajpal Yadav: 'You should know when to open your mouth, your place is in jail'; Violation of order in cheque bounce case

Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, who was convicted in seven cheque bounce cases, has been severely reprimanded by the Supreme Court. Justice Joymallya Bagchi was upset that he did not deposit Rs 5 crore despite the court's order. He said, "This arrogance has to be shown the right place. You should know when to open your mouth. Your place is in jail." The Supreme Court has given Rajpal Yadav a last chance to deposit the money by Tuesday (October 6). The next hearing of the case will be on October 7. Earlier, the court had also given him time on September 15 to make the payment. Demand draft of Rs 50 lakh submitted to court During the hearing, a copy of the demand draft of Rs 50 lakh was presented by Rajpal Yadav. His lawyer said that the draft is under process in the bank. In this regard, the bench said that it is not even aware whether the draft is genuine or not. The court also said that Rajpal Yadav was directed to deposit Rs 5 crore by October 5, but he did not comply. The lawyer appearing for the prosecution questioned Rajpal Yadav's stance and said, "The actor is also 'acting' in the court." When Rajpal Yadav's lawyer said, "The complainant is not poor," Justice Bagchi replied, "He may be richer, but he is poor to the extent that he has suffered losses." The controversy dates back to 2010. Rajpal Yadav had taken a loan of about Rs 5 crore from a Delhi-based company, Murali Projects, to direct his first film. The name of the film was 'Ata Pata Lapata'. The comedy film did not do well at the box office. According to the report, the film could not earn enough to cover its expenses. After this, Rajpal Yadav faced difficulties in repaying the loan. Due to the addition of interest and other charges, the arrears increased over many years. This amount increased to about Rs 9 crore. Rajpal Yadav's lawyer PS Patwalia had earlier told the court that Rajpal Yadav and his mother have some properties, which they will sell and collect money. They should be given two weeks' time. At present, they do not have money, but they want to give money. In 2012, Murali Projects approached the Delhi High Court After the controversy escalated, Murali Projects approached the Delhi High Court in 2012 over the film. The court restrained the petitioners from making a third party interest in the rights of the film. After this, seven complaints were filed under Section 138 of the NI Act after seven cheques bounced. Yadav also stressed on the subsequent consent agreement of April 21, 2013. Under this, both the parties agreed to a complete and final agreement of Rs 10.40 crore, of which Rs 40 lakh had already been paid by RTGS. Four new post-dated cheques were issued to secure the contract. According to Yadav's plea, eight security cheques issued earlier under the agreement were to be returned, but Murali Projects pursued the cases of bounced cheques. In the Supreme Court, Yadav said that the original complaints cannot continue after the subsequent agreement. Referring to the Supreme Court's decision in 'Zimpex Private Ltd' vs Manoj Goyal, he said that after the agreement is made, the complaint regarding the bounce of old cheques ends and a new case can be made only if the cheques issued under the new contract bounce. In 2018, the trial court convicted Yadav and the other accused in seven cases. Yadav was initially sentenced to six months in jail and a fine of Rs 1.60 crore in each case. The sentence was later reduced. On May 22, 2019, he was sentenced to three months simple imprisonment in seven cases and a fine of Rs 1.35 crore in each case. All the sentences were ordered to be executed concurrently. The sessions court upheld the conviction in 2024 and upheld the sentence of three months and a fine of Rs 1.35 crore in each case. The Delhi High Court then refused to interfere with the sentence in the July 10, 2026 verdict. The Delhi High Court sentenced Rajpal Yadav to 3 months in the case. In July 2026, the Delhi High Court upheld his conviction in all the seven cases and sentenced him to three months of simple imprisonment. All the sentences were ordered to be served concurrently. Rajpal Yadav then challenged the decision of the High Court in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had granted him interim relief from surrendering in September, but the payment was conditional for him. On September 15, the court had given him additional time to deposit the amount. Now the court has given him one last chance as the condition of payment has not been fulfilled.