The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to cancel its interim order suspending the sentence of actor Rajpal Yadav in a check bounce case, saying there is no reason to send him back to jail at this stage. Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma made the remarks while refusing to give any directions on an application filed by the complainant seeking cancellation of the relief granted to Yadav. The court had earlier, on February 16, suspended his sentence, allowing him to come out of jail after being in custody since February 5.
Delhi HC refuses to send Rajpal Yadav back to jail in check bounce case, says- ‘He is not running away’
During the hearing, the complainant’s counsel informed the court that an application seeking revocation of the suspension of sentence was pending. Responding to this, Justice Sharma said, “I don’t find any reason. He is not running away. He is still here. He is not running away. Not going anywhere.”
Yadav personally appeared in the court and argued. The complainant’s lawyer also argued that the actor was attempting to turn the case into a media trial, saying, “Either he (Yadav) should argue, or his lawyer should.”
Addressing the concern, the judge remarked, “What about media trials, it happens to everything. I don’t care. I don’t even watch the media… My ears and eyes are closed to what happens in the media. To me, he is an ordinary litigant, you are an ordinary litigant.”
The court further clarified that Yadav was not being heard due to his celebrity status.
“Just because he is an actor, I am not listening to him. I listen to any plaintiff who comes. You are giving importance to him. And one thing is that the plaintiff did not say that I am so and so.”
The bench said it will hear the matter next on April 1 and try to take a final decision on the matter. It also indicated that if Yadav intends to settle the dispute and clear the dues, he should submit a concrete proposal.
The case dates back to May 2024, when a sessions court had convicted Yadav in a check bounce case and sentenced him to six months in jail. The High Court later suspended his sentence after his lawyer assured that he was willing to settle the dues with the production company concerned.
However, the actor failed to meet payment commitments. On February 2, the High Court rejected his explanation that the delay was due to an inadvertent error in the demand draft, noting that no steps were taken to correct it. Earlier, Yadav had sought permission to pay Rs 2.5 crore in two installments, Rs 40 lakh by December 16, 2025, and the remaining Rs 2.1 crore by January 15, 2026, but the payment was not made.
After this the court directed him to surrender within two days. His subsequent plea seeking more time was also rejected, leading to his surrender on 5 February.
