Supreme Court Orders Rajpal Yadav to Deposit ₹5 Crore to Avoid Surrender

The Supreme Court instructed actor Rajpal Yadav to deposit ₹5 crore with its registry by Wednesday as a prerequisite for exemption from surrendering to serve his sentence in a cheque-bounce case. The order came from a panel headed by the Chief Justice, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, after Yadav orally presented his challenge to the Delhi High Court’s July 10 decision that confirmed his three-month imprisonment across seven counts under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

The case stems from seven complaints filed by film producer-financier Murri Projects Pvt Ltd. over dishonoured cheques issued for financing the delayed film Ata Pata Lapata, originally a Rs 5 crore investment in 2010. Subsequent settlement agreements and post-dated cheques complicated the dispute, leading to the criminal convictions in 2018 and a reduced sentence in 2019. The Supreme Court will hear further arguments on September 15.