Delhi High Court Grants Interim Bail to Actor Rajpal Yadav in ₹9 Crore Cheque Bounce Case

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Actor and director Rajpal Yadav was granted interim bail till March 18, 2026, by the Delhi High Court on February 16, 2026, after spending 11 days in Tihar Jail. The actor surrendered in the longstanding ₹9 crore cheque bounce case on February 5, 2026.

According to media reports, he had previously filed a bail plea to attend a relative’s wedding, which was later deferred to another date. He reportedly paid ₹1.5 crore to the complainant.

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With a career spanning decades, Rajpal Yadav became embroiled in a cheque bounce case worth crores following his directorial debut project. It all began in 2010 when Yadav borrowed a lump sum of ₹5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his debut film as a director, Ata Pata Laapata. The film was produced by Yadav’s spouse, Radha Yadav.

The film tanked at the box office and received an IMDb rating of 4.2. Multiple cheque bounce cases were filed against Rajpal Yadav, and he was found guilty in 2018. A magistrate court sentenced him to six months in jail under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which was later upheld by a sessions court in 2019. The value of the bounced cheques rose to nearly ₹9 crore collectively, including interest and penalties.

On February 3, 2026, a single-judge bench of Swarana Kanta Sharma criticised the actor’s behaviour after noting his repeated failure to honour settlement commitments despite being granted several opportunities.

Justice Sharma stated, “This Court is of the view that the conduct of petitioner no. 1 (Rajpal Yadav) deserves to be deprecated. Despite repeatedly giving assurances and seeking the indulgence of this Court, he has failed to comply with the orders passed from time to time.”

Yadav’s lawyers informed the court that he had submitted a demand draft (DD) of ₹1.5 crore and had been ordered to surrender his passport. They further added that they would meet Rajpal Yadav in jail to obtain his instructions regarding the payment and his response to it.

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The actor’s representative, Bhaskar Upadhyay, clarified that half of the pending amount has been paid by Yadav. Upadhyay said that they had requested the hearing be postponed on 12 February, 2026 because the bail plea required a response from the other party. The Delhi High Court had ordered the actor to surrender to the police in connection with a financial irregularity case in which he had taken a loan in 2010 to make his film Ata Pata Laapata but was unable to repay it.

Rajpal Yadav is an Indian actor and comedian widely recognised for his roles in cult classic films such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Chup Chup Ke, Dhol, and others. He will next be seen in Akshay Kumar’s comedy-horror film Bhoot Bhangla, set to be released on April 10, 2026.

Inputs from IANS

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