New Delhi, October 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed actor and comedian Rajpal Yadav to deposit Rs 1.15 crore with its registry after his counsel said the amount was ready, while another Rs 85 lakh would be arranged through a prospective buyer of his ancestral property as part of a proposed Rs 2 crore payment in multiple cheque dishonour cases.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing petitions filed by Yadav and his wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, challenging a Delhi High Court judgment that upheld their conviction in seven cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
During the hearing, Yadav’s counsel informed the Bench that Rs 1.15 crore had been arranged through demand drafts. A prospective buyer of Yadav’s ancestral property, who was present in court, was also willing to provide Rs 85 lakh as an advance.
The counsel said the buyer was not currently willing to register the sale documents because of Pitru Paksha and intended to complete the registration after Navratri. The buyer, however, was willing to deposit Rs 85 lakh through a demand draft on Monday.
The Bench questioned the overall value of the proposed property transaction, noting that Yadav’s liability was substantially higher than Rs 2 crore.
“What will be the total sale consideration? Because the liability is much more than Rs 2 crore,” the Bench asked.
Yadav’s counsel said the property was valued at more than Rs 30 crore and that the prospective buyer had the financial capacity to make the proposed payment.
Counsel for the complainant, M/s Murli Projects Pvt Ltd., agreed to the proposal and submitted that Yadav could be given additional time to clear the remaining liability if Rs 2 crore was paid immediately.
The Bench suggested that Yadav deposit Rs 1.15 crore immediately and arrange the remaining Rs 85 lakh on Monday, following which the court would determine a schedule for payment of the outstanding amount.
The Supreme Court also expressed displeasure over Yadav’s compliance with its earlier directions and indicated that it was inclined to enhance his three-month imprisonment sentence to two years.
Justice Bagchi observed that the court was not satisfied with Yadav’s conduct, adding that the accommodation being extended to him was intended to facilitate recovery of the money by the complainant.
The latest proceedings followed the court’s October 5 order, when it found that its September 15 direction had not been complied with. The Bench had then noted that a photocopy of a purported Rs 50 lakh demand draft had been produced, accompanied by a claim that the original draft would reach Delhi the following day.
The court had subsequently granted Yadav a final opportunity to pay Rs 2 crore and listed the matter for October 7.
On September 15, the Supreme Court had granted Yadav two weeks as a last opportunity to deposit at least Rs 2 crore after noting that an earlier direction to deposit Rs 5 crore had not been complied with.
The petitions before the apex court challenge the Delhi High Court’s July 10 judgment upholding the couple’s conviction in the seven cheque dishonour cases.
The High Court had reduced Yadav’s sentence from six months to three months of simple imprisonment in each case. It also reduced the fine from Rs 1.60 crore to Rs 1.05 crore in each case, with the substantive sentences directed to run concurrently.
While passing the order, the High Court had taken into account payments already made by Yadav to M/s Murli Projects Pvt Ltd. during the proceedings.
Yadav and his wife have challenged the judgment before the Supreme Court, arguing that a subsequent consent agreement between the parties was not properly considered by the courts below.
The petitioners have relied on the Supreme Court’s judgment in M/s Gimpex Private Limited vs Manoj Goel, contending that the subsequent agreement between the parties ought to have brought the original complaint proceedings to an end.
FOLLOW NOW
