Delhi HC refuses to recall direction to actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender in cheque bounce cases
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to recall its direction to actor Rajpal Yadav to surrender before jail authorities in connection with his conviction in cheque bounce cases, saying it cannot be expected to "create special circumstances" on account of his background or industry.
While recording her "strong disapproval", Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed Yadav to surrender immediately and observed that his failure to surrender on February 4 despite court orders reflected scant respect for law.
Yadav's senior counsel made a "mercy plea" to the court to recall its earlier order to enable him to arrange money to repay the complainant M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd.
The counsel said that Yadav could not comply with the direction to surrender on February 4 at 4 pm as he was trying to arrange the money and reached Delhi at 5 pm.
Law rewards its compliance and not its contempt, the court remarked, as it opined that recalling its earlier direction would send a message that its orders could be disregarded repeatedly without any consequences.
"This Court cannot be expected to show or create special circumstances for any person merely because such a person belongs to a particular background or industry.. Leniency, though sometimes necessary, cannot be extended endlessly, especially when it is met with continued non-compliance," said the court.
"In these circumstances, this Court finds no merit in the plea of the counsel for the petitioner to recall its order directing surrender of the petitioner before the Jail Superintendent, Tihar. He is directed to surrender the Jail Superintendent, Tihar, immediately today," it ordered.
Yadav physically appeared before the court for the proceedings.
His senior lawyer said he was ready to pay a demand draft of Rs 25 lakh to the complainant and also adhere to a payment schedule.
The court's proceedings 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.
In the order passed on February 2, while directing him to surrender by 4 pm on February 4, the high court had 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 court had 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 of Rs 75 lakh were deposited with the Registrar General and an amount of Rs 9 crore remained payable, it noted in the order.
On February 4, the court had refused to extend the deadline given to Yadav to surrender before jail authorities.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
