Delhi HC directs actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender in cheque bounce cases
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court has directed actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender before jail authorities by February 4 in connection with his conviction in cheque bounce cases.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that Yadav's conduct deserved to be deprecated as he repeatedly breached his undertakings to the court to repay the amount to the complainant M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.
The judge noted that Yadav was required to make payment of Rs 1.35 crore in each of the seven cases against him, and directed that the amount already deposited with the Registrar General of the high court be released in favour of the complainant.
In October 2025, two demand drafts (DDs) of Rs 75 lakh were deposited with the Registrar General and an amount of Rs 9 crore remained payable, the court noted in the order.
"Despite repeatedly giving assurances and seeking indulgence of this court, the petitioner no. 1 has failed to comply with the orders passed from time to time... This Court finds no justification to continue the indulgence granted to the petitioner no. 1 earlier, especially in the case as the present one, where the petitioner no. 1 himself has admitted the liability and undertaken to repay the amount," said the court in order passed on February 2.
"In the interest of justice, the petitioner no. 1 is directed to surrender before the concerned Jail Superintendent by 04.02.2026, 4:00 PM, to serve the sentence awarded to him by the learned trial court. This limited indulgence is granted at the request of the learned senior counsel for the petitioners, who submits that the petitioner no. 1 is presently engaged in some professional work at Mumbai," the court ordered.
The counsel for the actor said he had neither been able to comply with the orders of the court nor with the settlement arrived at between the parties.
He "fairly conceded" that Yadav was granted several opportunities and "considerable leniency" was shown on multiple occasions when time was sought to deposit the settlement amount, the court recorded.
The court's order came on revision petitions by Yadav and his wife challenging a 2019 decision of a sessions court, which upheld their conviction by a magisterial court here in the cheque-bounce cases in April 2018.
In June 2024, the high court had temporarily suspended his conviction, subject to him adopting "sincere and genuine measures" to explore the possibility of reaching an amicable settlement with the opposite party.
The magisterial court had sentenced him to undergo six months' imprisonment.
At that time, Yadav's counsel had said it was a genuine transaction to finance the production of a movie, which bombed at the box office, resulting in huge financial losses.
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Man held for cheating IT official by posing as 'parrot astrologer'
Bengaluru (PTI): A 59-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping an Income Tax department official by posing as a "parrot astrologer" and promising career growth and better life through rituals, police said on Wednesday.
With the arrest of the accused astrologer Shekar, police claimed to have recovered gold ornaments weighing 124 grams and silver articles weighing 796 grams, with a total value of Rs 20.60 lakh.
The matter came to light after the victim, who is a senior administrative officer in the Income Tax department, lodged a complaint at Bharatinagar police station here on March 5, police said.
According to police, in the complaint, the victim stated that while passing near Sri Circle, he was approached by a person claiming to practise parrot astrology. The accused called him over, claimed he could predict the future by looking at his face, and convinced him to perform a ritual.
Initially, the accused collected Rs 50,000 from the complainant. Later, he allegedly told the victim that an elaborate ritual was necessary for career promotion, transfer, and overall improvement in life, and threatened that failure to do so would bring misfortune, he alleged.
"Under this pretext, the accused took 194 grams of gold ornaments and 1.3 kg of silver articles from the complainant, assuring they would be returned after the ritual," police said.
When the complainant later demanded the return of the valuables, the accused allegedly threatened him, they said.
During the investigation, police gathered credible information and apprehended the accused near Cantonment Railway Station on March 12 and upon interrogation, he confessed to committing the offence with the intention of making quick money, a senior police officer said.
He was produced before a court on March 13 and taken into police custody for five days.
During sustained questioning, the accused revealed that he had sold the stolen gold and silver items at a jewellery shop in Halasuru. Based on his information, police recovered 124 grams of gold ornaments and 796 grams of silver articles from the shop on March 15, valued at Rs 20.60 lakh, the officer said.
The accused was again produced before the court on March 17 and was remanded to judicial custody, he added.
