The Supreme Court of India has given Bollywood actor and comedian Rajpal Yadav one last two weeks to deposit at least INR 2 crore in the Supreme Court registry in the ongoing financial dispute regarding the check bounce case.

A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice said that the previous conduct of Rajpal Yadav in this case was not enough to earn the confidence of the court. However, after being assured by his lawyer, the court granted him two more weeks.

The lawyer assured that Rajpal Yadav would deposit Rs 2 crore within the stipulated period and also provide security for the remaining amount.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant, referring to Rajpal Yadav’s previous conduct, questioned whether the court could trust his promise. How can anyone trust them given their past behavior? He is adept at drama and acting in Bollywood, doing the same in court.

The court has granted him interim protection from arrest till the next hearing on October 5. However, the court has directed him to submit his passport.

It should be noted that in 2010, Rajpal Yadav took a loan of Rs 5 crore from a private institution for his directorial debut Ata Pata Lapata. The film failed at the box office and Rajpal Yadav could not repay the loan amount. After adding interest, the amount owed rose to nearly Rs 9 crore, leading to a protracted legal battle.

During the previous hearing, Rajpal Yadav’s counsel had told the court that around Rs 4.25 crore had already been paid to the complainant. In 2018, a magistrate’s court convicted Rajpal Yadav and his wife Radha in the case and sentenced them to six months in jail.

In 2019, the Sessions Court also upheld the conviction and sentence, after which Rajpal Yadav approached the Delhi High Court. In June 2024, the Delhi High Court temporarily suspended his sentence and directed him to take genuine steps to pay the dues of Rs 9 crore.

Rajpal Yadav surrendered to the authorities in Tihar Jail in February after failing to pay the dues and was sent to jail. Later on February 16, Rajpal Yadav was granted interim bail on depositing Rs 1.5 crore after the complainant’s counsel confirmed the deposit.

Later this relief was also extended. The Delhi High Court declared that Rajpal Yadav will not be detained again despite the expiry of the previous interim order.