Go and earn money, Supreme Court tells Rajpal Yadav; allows release of his passport to travel abroad for work

Go and earn money, The Supreme Court told Rajpal Yadav on October 15 as it pronounced the verdict in the cheque bounce case involving the actor.

After the hearing, the apex court released the actor's passport to travel abroad for a movie.

Yadav had earlier secured some relief from the top court on October 7, when he proposed selling his ancestral property to settle the outstanding dues in a series of cheque-bounce cases that have been going on for years.


The Supreme Court referred the actor's long-pending cheque-dishonour dispute to mediation after taking note of Rs 2 crore deposited by him and his wife with the court registry.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the dispute appeared suitable for an amicable resolution, given the amount deposited and the issues involved. The Chief Justice said he would appoint a sole mediator to facilitate a settlement between the parties.

The bench directed both sides to contact the mediator and arrange a date for their appearance. The mediator can conduct the proceedings either in person or online, depending on the circumstances.

The court also ordered the trial court to release Yadav’s passport, subject to conditions it considers appropriate, so that the actor can continue his professional commitments. Yadav must comply with the restrictions imposed on his travel and inform the trial court upon returning.

During the hearing, Yadav’s counsel, advocate Vikrant, told the court that the actor needed to travel to Canada for a professional assignment and could earn money by attending the event.

Also read | ‘Make a hit film, rebuild your image’: SC to Rajpal Yadav after Rs 1.15 crore deposit in cheque-bounce case

The actor’s legal team said the entire Rs 2 crore had been deposited in accordance with the Supreme Court’s earlier directions. It requested the bench to hear on merits Yadav’s challenge to his conviction and three-month prison sentence in seven cheque-dishonour cases.

Although the Chief Justice initially indicated that the court would hear the matter, the bench subsequently suggested mediation as a way to resolve the dispute.

On October 7, the Chief Justice had encouraged Yadav to rebuild his public image through his work and return to entertaining audiences. The bench had also taken note of a payment of Rs 1.15 crore made by the actor in connection with the cheque-bounce cases.

The dispute originated in a 2010 financial arrangement under which Yadav received Rs 5 crore from M/s Murli Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata.

The complainant alleged that Yadav issued seven cheques of Rs 1.05 crore each in 2013 towards repayment of the financial assistance. The cheques were subsequently dishonoured.

According to the firm, an agreement executed in 2012 required Yadav, his wife and their company to repay approximately Rs 11 crore, including interest.

The Supreme Court had issued notice on Yadav’s plea on September 8, granting him exemption from surrendering on the condition that Rs 5 crore be deposited with its registry. On September 15, the court extended the exemption until October 5.

The legal proceedings followed a July 10 decision by the Delhi High Court, which upheld Yadav’s conviction in multiple cheque-bounce cases and imposed a three-month prison sentence. The high court declined to condone a delay of 1,894 days, or more than five years, in filing petitions challenging the convictions. It also directed the actor to pay more than Rs 1 crore to the complainant in each of the seven cases.

The high court clarified that approximately Rs 2 crore already paid by Yadav would be adjusted against the dues. It kept his sentence in abeyance for two months to allow him to approach the appellate court.

Yadav’s wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, was separately directed to pay a fine of around Rs 5.5 lakh to the complainant in each case, with three months of simple imprisonment prescribed in default of payment.

The high court’s ruling arose from revision petitions challenging a 2019 sessions court decision that had upheld the couple’s convictions by a magistrate in April 2018. The magistrate had initially sentenced Yadav to six months in prison, a term later reduced to three months.