The Delhi High Court has refused to recall its earlier direction to actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender in a cheque bounce case, rebuking him for non-compliance with court orders and stressing that no special treatment can be given on account of his background or profession.
The matter stems from Yadav’s conviction in multiple cheque bounce cases involving financial dealings with the complainant, M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd. A magisterial court had sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment in 2018, which was upheld by a sessions court in 2019. Yadav and his wife had filed revision petitions challenging this conviction.
In June 2024, the High Court had suspended the conviction conditionally, urging Yadav to take “sincere and genuine” steps toward an amicable settlement. However, the court later found that he had repeatedly defaulted on undertakings to repay the dues.
On February 2, 2026, the High Court ordered Yadav to surrender by 4 PM on February 4, citing repeated breaches in compliance. Despite this, Yadav failed to turn himself in, claiming he was delayed while arranging funds and reached Delhi only by 5 PM.
When the matter came up again on Thursday, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma strongly disapproved of the conduct and dismissed the actor’s plea for leniency. “Law rewards its compliance and not its contempt,” the court observed, emphasizing that relaxing directions on the basis of profession would send a wrong signal.
The court directed Yadav to “surrender immediately today” before the Jail Superintendent, Tihar, and rejected his counsel’s plea to recall the surrender order, which was framed as a “mercy plea” to allow time for payment arrangements.
“This Court cannot be expected to show or create special circumstances for any person merely because such a person belongs to a particular background or industry,” said Justice Sharma.
She further noted that leniency cannot be extended endlessly in the face of “continued non-compliance” and that the actor’s repeated disregard for court orders deserved censure.
According to the court, Yadav was to pay ₹1.35 crore in each of the seven cheque bounce cases. While two demand drafts of ₹75 lakh were deposited in October 2025, a sum of ₹9 crore remained unpaid. The court has directed that amounts deposited with the Registrar General be released in favour of the complainant.
Yadav’s counsel submitted that the transaction was originally for film financing, but the movie failed, leading to financial hardship. On Thursday, Yadav appeared physically before the court and expressed readiness to pay ₹25 lakh by demand draft and adhere to a payment schedule, but the court declined to alter its direction.
Yadav has now been ordered to surrender without any further extension, as the court found no merit in recalling its earlier direction.
