‘Jail is the right place for you’: Indian SC to Rajpal Yadav

The Indian Supreme Court has strongly rebuked Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav in a crore-rupee cheque dishonour case, telling him that “jail is the right place” for him after he failed to pay his creditors within the court-ordered deadline.

According to Indian media reports, the Supreme Court had ordered Yadav during a hearing on September 9 to deposit Rs 5 crore by October 5. However, he failed to make the payment within the deadline, drawing the court’s strong displeasure.

The case was heard by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. During the hearing, Yadav’s lawyer presented a demand draft for Rs 50 lakh and said it was being processed by the bank.

The court, however, expressed anger over Yadav’s failure to deposit the full amount as previously promised.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the creditors might be wealthier than the actor, but they had suffered financially because of his failure to honour the agreement.

Criticising Yadav’s conduct, the judge said he should know when to speak and remarked that “jail is the right place” for him.

The bench had also expressed dissatisfaction during a hearing in September, saying that Yadav was not complying with the court’s directions.

Yadav had borrowed Rs 5 crore from Delhi-based company Murali Projects in 2010 to produce the film Ata Pata Laapata. The film failed commercially, leaving him unable to repay the loan.

The creditor company later approached the court over the unpaid debt.

-EM/AJM