NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday suspended the jail term of actor Rajpal Yadav in the cheque bounce case till March 18, noting that he had deposited Rs 1.5 crore in the bank account of the complainant.
Yadav had sought suspension of his sentence on the ground of his niece’s marriage on February 19. “We are granting an interim suspension of sentence... It is till the next date of hearing,” Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said, directing Yadav to surrender his passport and not leave the country without permission.
It further directed Yadav to remain present, either physically or virtually, on the next date of hearing on March 18.
Yadav had surrendered after the high court on February 4 rejected his petition seeking an extension of the time to surrender to jail authorities in the cases.
The judge on February 2 said the actor repeatedly breached his undertakings to the court to repay the amount he owed to the complainant, Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, and that his conduct deserved to be “deprecated”.
The judge noted that Yadav was required to make payment of Rs 1.35 crore in each of the seven cases against him and directed that the amount already deposited with the Registrar General of the high court be released in favour of the complainant.
In October 2025, two demand drafts (DDs) of Rs 75 lakh were deposited with the Registrar General, and an amount of Rs 9 crore remained payable, the court noted in its order.
“Despite repeated assurances and seeking indulgence of this court, the petitioner has failed to comply with the orders passed from time to time. This court finds no justification to continue the indulgence granted to him earlier, especially in a case where he himself has admitted the liability and undertaken to repay the amount,” the judge said.
In June 2024, the high court had temporarily suspended his conviction, subject to him adopting “sincere and genuine measures” to explore the possibility of reaching an amicable settlement with the opposite party.
The magisterial court had sentenced him to undergo six months’ imprisonment.
Also in court
HC seeks Centre’s reply to Wilson’s plea
The HC said that India should not be such a tolerant state that we allow our country to be criticised at an international platform. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, hearing a plea by UK-based writer, journalist Amrit Wilson against the cancellation of her OCI card, made the remark while noting certain intelligence reports against Wilson alleged her participation in “anti-India activities”.. The judge sought Centre’s reply to Wilson’s plea.