The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up actor Rajpal Yadav for failing to comply with a direction to deposit money in connection with the long-running check bounce case involving private firm M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.

According to PTI, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Jomalia Bagchi and V Mohana gave Governor Yadav two weeks time to come up with a concrete proposal to clear the outstanding balance on September 15 and also directed him to deposit Rs 2 crore in the court registry.

The deadline expired on Monday, but the payment was not made.

During the hearing, Governor Yadav’s counsel said, “They (complainants) are not poor.”

The comment did not go down well with Justice Joymalaya Bagchi, who said, “They may be richer than you, but they are poor enough that you have cheated them. This arrogance needs to be put in the right place. You should know when to open your mouth. Your place is in jail”.

The court directed the payment by Tuesday and listed the matter as the first case for Wednesday.

The bench said it could dismiss Governor Yadav’s appeal but was reluctant to do so as it would affect the complainant’s chances of recovering money. It also noted that the actor was directed to make the payment by Monday but failed to do so.

During the hearing, Rapal Yadav’s lawyer presented a copy of the demand draft of Rs 50 lakh and said that it is being processed by the bank.

“Is it genuine or not? We don’t know,” the bench said.

Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, counsel for the complainant, accused Governor Yadav of repeatedly failing to follow the court’s directions.

“He is a film actor. He is acting here too. He has no respect for the dignity of the institution,” Sinha said.

What is the case about?

The case relates to a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore that Rajpal Yadav allegedly received from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd for a film in 2010.

According to the complainant, Governor Yadav later issued seven checks worth Rs 1.05 crore to settle the amount, but all the checks were dishonoured.

The complainant also said that an agreement reached in 2012 said that Governor Yadav, his wife Radha and their company had agreed to pay about Rs 11 crore with interest.

This dispute has been going on for many years. On September 15, the Supreme Court had extended Governor Yadav’s immunity from surrender till October 5, giving him the last chance to bring a payment proposal.

Yadav’s conduct did not inspire confidence, the bench had said at the time, “He is perfect in doing drama… the earlier orders of the court have not been followed.”

Appeared by Governor Yadav, senior lawyer P.S. Patwalia had sought two weeks’ time to prepare a concrete proposal to clear the dues. He had also said that the actor would deposit Rs 2 crore to show his truth.

Patwalia told the court that Governor Yadav had spent four-and-a-half months in jail and friends from the entertainment industry had helped him get bail.

Sinha, appearing for M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd, said the complainant was mainly concerned with recovery of money, as Governor Yadav had not fulfilled his promises.

Punishment of Delhi High Court

On September 8, the Supreme Court had issued a notice on Governor Yadav’s petition saying that he would be exempted from surrender if he deposited Rs 5 crore in his registry.

Earlier, on July 10, the Delhi High Court upheld Governor Yadav’s conviction in several check bounce cases and sentenced him to three months in jail.

The High Court refused to condone the delay of 1,894 days – more than five years – in filing petitions challenging the conviction. The court also directed Governor Yadav to pay over Rs 1 crore to the complainant in seven cases.

The court said that around Rs 2 crore already paid by the actor will be adjusted with the balance. It suspended his sentence for two months to allow him to approach the Court of Appeal.

The High Court has directed Governor Yadav’s wife to pay around Rs 5.5 lakh as fine to the complainant in each case. In default of payment, he will have to undergo simple imprisonment for three months.

The High Court’s decision came on revision petitions filed by Governor Yadav and his wife against the 2019 Sessions Court order, which upheld their conviction by a magistrate in April 2018.

The magistrate had earlier sentenced Governor Yadav to six months in prison. Later the sentence was reduced to three months.

(with PTI inputs)