Actor Rajpal Yadav has been sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in each of seven cheque bounce cases linked to a Rs9-crore debt. The Delhi High Court delivered the verdict on Friday, while also directing the actor and his wife to make payments to the complainant.
According to NDTV, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma ordered Yadav to pay Rs1.05 crore to the complainant in each of the seven cases. The court also directed him to pay an additional Rs1,04,75,000 to the complainant and Rs 25,000 to the State. Yadav’s wife, Radha Yadav, was ordered to pay Rs5,51,380 to the complainant in each case. The court clarified that the Rs 2.25 crore already paid by the actor would be adjusted against the final amount.
The judgment came after the High Court reserved its verdict on 2 April, when repeated attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement failed. During the hearing, Yadav opposed the proposed settlement and made an emotional appeal before the court.
Justice Sharma expressed concern over the actor’s changing position regarding repayment. At one stage, the court observed that the undertaking previously given by Yadav differed from the submissions later made on his behalf.
Counsel for the complainant, advocate Avneet Singh Sikka, argued that Yadav had already accepted his conviction and could no longer avoid his financial liability. He also submitted that the revision petition filed in 2024 was delayed by 1,894 days without sufficient justification. Sikka further argued that completing a sentence would not extinguish the liability arising from the dishonoured cheques.
The High Court repeatedly encouraged both sides to settle the dispute. On the court’s suggestion, the complainant agreed to accept Rs 6 crore as a full and final settlement. However, Yadav rejected the proposal, saying he had already suffered significant financial losses, sold property and made substantial payments. The court later suggested a structured payment of Rs 3 crore within a fixed timeline, making it clear that the proposal was only a judicial suggestion. The parties still failed to reach an agreement.
According to Yadav’s lawyer, Bhaskar Upadhyay, the actor paid Rs2.5 crore towards the Rs9-crore cheque bounce case in February.
The dispute stems from the commercial failure of Ata Pata Laapata, released in 2012. The film, which marked Yadav’s directorial debut, left him facing financial liabilities that later rose to around Rs9 crore.
On 2 February, the High Court noted that Yadav was required to pay Rs1.35 crore in each of the seven cases. It also ordered that the money already deposited with the Registrar General be released to the complainant.
The court further recorded that two demand drafts worth Rs75 lakh had been deposited with the Registrar General in October 2025, while an outstanding amount of Rs9 crore remained payable.
