By Admin 
Who does not know Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav? This actor, who is expert in making people laugh and tickle, is in the headlines these days not because of his acting but because of going to jail. He is serving a sentence in Tihar Jail in a long running check bounce case. This punishment did not happen suddenly. The matter is years old. The loan worth crores taken for making the film was not returned on time, after which the check bounce case reached the court.
The court gave several opportunities for payment, but the deadline kept being broken again and again. Ultimately, the court adopted a strict stance and upheld the sentence and ordered surrender. Let us know how the whole matter started and why it reached jail. And now what will happen next for Rajpal Yadav?
Complete time line of Rajpal Yadav check bounce case
2010- Took loan for film
The whole matter starts in the year 2010 when Rajpal Yadav took a loan to make a film. He took a loan of Rs 5 crore from Delhi’s Murali Project Private Limited for the film ‘Aata Pata Lapata’. The film was released in 2012 and flopped. This film was made for about Rs 11 crore and it earned only Rs 38 lakh at the box office. After this the problem of repaying the loan started.
2018- check bounce case
Rajpal Yadav could not repay the loan after the film flopped. All the 7 checks he gave to repay the loan bounced. And after this the case started legally.
2018- husband and wife guilty
In April 2018, the Magistrate Court convicted Rajpal Yadav and his wife under the Negotiable Instruments Act (Section 138) and sentenced them to 6 months in jail.
2019- Sessions Court
Rajpal Yadav appealed to the Sessions Court in the year 2019 but here too the court upheld his punishment.
2024- Delhi High Court
In June 2024, Rajpal Yadav got relief in this matter from Delhi High Court. The High Court temporarily stayed his sentence but the court asked him to show his efforts to return the money. The court advised both the parties to explore possibilities of mutual agreement and sent the case to the Mediation Centre. After this, Rajpal Yadav assured the court that he would pay a total of Rs 2.5 crore to the company. This included the first installment of Rs 40 lakh and the second installment of Rs 2.10 crore. But according to the court, even after the deadline, not a single installment was deposited. By 2024, this debt had increased to about Rs 9 crore.
2025- Repeated promises, repeated delays
Rajpal Yadav deposited Rs 75 lakh in October 2025. After this, they promised to give Rs 40 lakh in December 2025 also but could not give it.
After this the court said that seriousness was not visible.
2026- Last chance also gone
This year i.e. in February 2026, the court rejected the petition seeking one week’s extension in this case. The court gave time for settlement several times but payment was not made. The judge said that being a celebrity cannot make different rules. Taking a strict stance on this, Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma has now said that the violation of promises made repeatedly in check bounce cases is very serious. The court said that the actor was given many opportunities, but every time he has broken the trust of the court. The court gave Rajpal Yadav time to surrender till 4 pm on 4th February.
5 February 2026- Tihar Jail
On 5 February 2026, Rajpal Yadav surrendered in Tihar Jail. The court sentenced him to 6 months in jail.
After surrender said- no money
After surrendering, Rajpal Yadav said- ‘Sir, what should I do, I don’t have money, I don’t see any other solution. Here we are all alone. There are no friends. I will have to face this problem myself.
After this, there are many types of questions in the minds of people. Will he not have to pay Rs 9 crore after serving 6 months of jail sentence? What will happen if the money is not paid even after that?
First of all let us know what Rajpal Yadav has to say about this case.
Lallantop Rajpal Yadav had also talked about this case in an interview. Rajpal Yadav had made it clear that this was an investment made by another party. He had said, ‘I did not take the money but he himself invested as a financier. He had to make his grandson a hero.
Rajpal Yadav also said, ‘I had expressed my views politely in the court also. Even if it is accepted that I took Rs 5 crore, I am a public person – it is important to tell the truth to the public. Was this amount a loan, investment or something else? An amount like Rs 15 crore cannot disappear anywhere.
I have been working around the world for the last 40 years, of which 30 have been spent abroad, and till date no one has pointed a finger at me. From the beginning I have been saying that the real nature of the case should be written clearly. Not only this, he also said that if there was no court then the people in front would have got him hanged.
What will happen to Rajpal Yadav now?
Will the loan not have to be repaid after serving the jail sentence? Will this case end? There are many questions whose answers are important to know.
If understood in legal terms, the liability of Rs 9 crore will not be eliminated by serving the jail sentence. Even after serving the jail sentence, Rajpal Yadav will either have to pay Rs 9 crore or compromise. Let me tell you why?
This check bounce case (Negotiable Instruments Act, Section 138) Is of. In this section, there are two types of punishment in law-
Criminal punishment- In which jail sentence is given or penalty is imposed.
Civil liability- Along with the principal amount, interest and compensation have to be paid.
This means that the loan will have to be given.
On this matter, Varanasi’s advocate Varun Singh says, ‘In the dishonor check case, there is a provision to end the case after paying the stipulated amount. But in cases related to criminal cases like 420, 421, the trial goes on in the court even after paying the fixed amount. This case ends only on the basis written by the defendant.
He further explains, ‘Rajpal Yadav’s case of non-payment of loan is under the ambit of criminal offense for which he has been sentenced to 6 months in jail. Therefore, after they pay the amount, they will get relief in punishment after the court trial.
Rajpal Yadav can come out of jail if…
Advocate Rupesh Dutta says that Rajpal Yadav’s sentence can be canceled if he pays the outstanding amount. Rupesh Dutta told ABP News, ‘Generally this is not possible in non-compoundable cases, but Rajpal Yadav’s check bounce case falls in the compoundable category. If they agree to return the outstanding amount under some arrangement, their six-month sentence can be suspended, even if they are currently in jail.’
He further says, ‘At present he is in jail only because he did not follow the time given earlier by the Delhi High Court and could not comply with the orders of the court.’