Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav has faced sharp criticism from India’s Supreme Court after missing a deadline to repay Rs 5 crore to creditors in a cheque dishonour case.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana had ordered Yadav on 9 September to deposit the amount by 5 October. However, he failed to meet the deadline.
During the latest hearing, Yadav’s lawyer produced a demand draft for Rs 50 lakh and said the payment was being processed. The court, however, questioned why the actor had not deposited the full amount as directed.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the creditors may have more money than Yadav but had suffered financially because of the unpaid debt. He also criticised the actor’s conduct and remarked that “jail is the right place” for him.
Yadav borrowed Rs 5 crore from Delhi-based Murali Projects in 2010 to produce ‘Ata Pata Laapata’. The film failed commercially, leaving him unable to repay the loan.
Murali Projects later approached the court over the outstanding amount, leading to the ongoing proceedings.
