Actor Rajpal Yadav grabbed headlines earlier this year after being sent to Tihar Jail over a ₹9 crore debt and cheque bounce case. The actor was granted interim bail, and was released on February 16. On July 10, the Delhi HC upheld Rajpal Yadav’s conviction, and sentenced him to three months in jail.
When Rajpal Yadav talked about the cheque bounce case
In March 1, Rajpal had addressed the media in a press conference, opening up about the legal case that brought him significant challenges. Rajpal stated that the agreement was purely verbal and rooted in trust, calling it a “ghar ka maamla” (a personal matter). He added that he had committed to returning ₹8 crore following the film’s release. He claimed that no lawyer was involved when the agreement was made.
“When the deal happened, Bhaskar ji (Rajpal’s lawyer) wasn’t in the picture. I have worked in over 250 films. If I look back at those agreements, every contract will have some loophole. When this deal took place, I never imagined it would be dragged to court. This fight is an ego clash. The person wants me to fall at his feet in return for ₹5 crore. He doesn’t want money. If it was for money, I am ready to pay since 2013. The money came to me first. I went to the Laxmi Nagar office and blindly signed the papers without reading them. I did make a mistake there,” he said.
The actor continued, “Because it was a ‘ghar ka maamla’, I didn’t involve lawyers. Sometimes, you trust people’s words and relationships more than paperwork. In my mind, I thought – a man whose net worth is between ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 crore gave me ₹5 crore within minutes on a single phone call; why would he ever file a case against me? There was no lawyer involved, and not even my wife was aware. What we had agreed upon was that after the film’s release, he would receive ₹8 crore instead of ₹5 crore, and whatever remained would be mine. The film earned ₹1 crore…”
Before Rajpal could finish his statement, his lawyer interrupted him and took the floor, remarking, “If you say that trusting that man was a mistake, then Rajpal Yadav has made that mistake.”
About Rajpal Yadav’s ₹9 crore debt case
All of this began in 2010 when Rajpal Yadav took a loan of ₹5 crore from a Delhi-based company to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata. However, the film’s poor box office performance led to financial losses, and he was unable to repay the amount, triggering a legal dispute. In 2018, a magistrate’s court convicted him in a cheque bounce case under the Negotiable Instruments Act and sentenced him to six months in jail. The verdict was upheld in 2019, with the total liability rising to nearly ₹9 crore.
In February, after failing to clear the dues, he surrendered and was sent to Tihar Jail. He was later granted interim bail on February 16 after depositing ₹1.5 crore, following confirmation from the complainant’s lawyer. The relief was extended, with the Delhi High Court stating that he would not be taken back into custody even after the earlier interim order was set aside. The actor recently requested a 30-day extension to arrange the loan amount, but the Delhi High Court rejected his request and reserved its verdict.