NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it was not sending Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav to jail again in a cheque bounce case, observing that he was “not running away”.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma made the remark while hearing a plea by Murali Projects Pvt Ltd seeking to vacate the court’s interim order suspending Yadav’s sentence. The complainant alleged that Yadav was attempting to turn the case into a media trial. The judge, however, rejected the request, stating, “I do not find any reason. He is not running away. He is still here.” She added that the court was not concerned with media reporting.
“What about media trials? That happens with everything. It doesn’t matter to me. I do not watch the media at all... Whatever happens in the media, my ears and eyes are closed. For me, he (Yadav) is an ordinary litigant. You are an ordinary litigant,” the judge said. The court said it would hear the matter on April 1 and “endeavour to decide it finally”.
The court had earlier, on February 16, suspended Yadav’s sentence and allowed his release after noting that he deposited `1.5 crore in the complainant’s bank account. He was directed to surrender his passport and not leave the country without permission.
The proceedings arise from revision petitions filed by Yadav and his wife challenging a 2019 sessions court order upholding their conviction by a magisterial court in April 2018 in cheque bounce cases. The trial court had sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment.
In June 2024, the High Court had temporarily suspended his conviction, subject to “sincere and genuine measures” to explore an amicable settlement. Yadav’s counsel had then said the transaction was linked to financing a film that failed at the box office, leading to losses.
Court had earlier released Yadav after `1.5 cr deposit
The court had earlier, on February 16, suspended Yadav’s sentence and allowed his release after noting that he deposited `1.5 crore in the complainant’s bank account. He was directed to surrender his passport and not leave the country without permission.