The Delhi High Court has denied a request to return Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav to prison, as he has worked to fulfil his financial obligations in the ₹9 crore cheque bounce case. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma extended Yadav’s suspended sentence until April 1 2026, during the March 18 2026, hearing, as he found the actor had no plans to escape and was making efforts to pay his debts.
Rajpal Yadav has already paid M/S Murali Projects Pvt Ltd. his first payment of ₹4.25 crore which he earned through his acting career in multiple Hindi films. His lawyer presented a demand draft for ₹25 lakh during the most recent court proceedings to complete an extra payment. Justice Sharma observed these actions by saying, “I am not sending him to jail right now… He is coming to the court; he has been in jail. What else do you want?” The court rejected the complainant’s petition to cancel Yadav’s suspended sentence on the basis of this statement.
The legal dispute arises from a 2010 financial agreement that established Yadav and his wife as borrowers who obtained funds to produce his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata (2012), which turned out to be a commercial failure. Yadav spent time at Tihar Jail after he failed to make his scheduled payments on February 5 2026. He received interim bail on February 16 after he paid ₹1.5 crore.
Yadav has received financial assistance from various film industry celebrities, including Sonu Sood, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. The court case will resume on April 1 2026, when the court plans to deliver its ultimate ruling.
