Delhi HC allows temporary release of actor Rajpal Yadav from jail in cheque bounce cases

In a relief to actor Rajpal Yadav, the Delhi High Court suspended till March 18 his sentence in the cheque bounce cases and permitted him to be released from jail.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the order after noting that Mr. Yadav deposited ₹1.5 crore in the bank account of complainant M/s Murali Projects Pvt. Ltd. “We are granting you an interim suspension of sentence… It is till the next date of hearing,” said the judge.

Mr. Yadav sought suspension of his sentence on the ground of a marriage in his family on February 19.

The court directed the actor to surrender his passport and not leave the country without permission. It further directed Mr. Yadav to remain present, either physically or virtually, on the next date of hearing on March 18.

Based on revision petitions

The court’s proceedings came on revision petitions by Mr. Yadav and his wife challenging a 2019 decision of a sessions court, which upheld their conviction by a magisterial court here in the cheque bounce cases in April 2018.

The magisterial court had sentenced him to undergo six months imprisonment.

In June 2024, the high court had temporarily suspended his conviction, subject to his adopting “sincere and genuine measures” to explore the possibility of reaching an amicable settlement with the opposite party.

At that time, Mr. Yadav’s counsel had said it was a genuine transaction to finance the production of a movie, which bombed at the box office, resulting in huge financial losses.

In the order passed on February 2, while directing him to surrender by 4 p.m. on February 4, the court had observed that Mr. Yadav’s conduct deserved to be deprecated as he repeatedly breached his undertakings to the court to repay the amount to the complainant M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.

The court had noted that Mr. Yadav was required to make payment of ₹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 worth ₹ 75 lakh were deposited with the registrar general and an amount of Rs 9 crore remained payable, it noted in the order.

On February 4, the court refused to extend the deadline given to the actor to surrender to jail authorities.