Rajpal Yadav: 'I was not jailed because I didn’t have money', claims cheque bounce case led to Rs 220 million loss

Actor Rajpal Yadav has stepped forward to address long-standing public assumptions about the legal case that had led to his imprisonment in a cheque bounce matter, insisting that the narrative around the dispute has been oversimplified.

According to Yadav, his jail term was not merely the result of an inability to repay a Rs 5 crore loan, as widely believed.

The controversy traces back to 2010, when the actor reportedly borrowed Rs 5 crores from Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial venture Ata Pata Laapata (2012). The film, however, failed to perform at the box office, and the loan remained unsettled, eventually escalating into legal proceedings. In 2018, a magistrate’s court convicted him under the Negotiable Instruments Act and sentenced him to six months in jail, a ruling later upheld by a sessions court in 2019. Over time, the disputed amount reportedly rose to nearly Rs 9 crores.

Earlier this year, after failing to clear the dues, Yadav surrendered and was sent to Tihar Jail. He was later granted interim bail on February 16 after depositing Rs 1.5 crore, with the Delhi High Court subsequently clarifying that he would not be taken back into custody even after the interim order was vacated.

Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, the actor pushed back against the perception that his imprisonment was simply due to non-repayment.

“That’s exactly the question... the day people understand this, they will understand my entire case… I was not jailed because I didn’t have money. It was about a larger issue and a matter of principle,” he said.

Yadav further argued that if the matter had been limited to Rs 5 crores, it would have been resolved years earlier. “Ye Rs 5 crores ka masla hota to 2012 me nipat ta. Iss Rs 5 crores ne Rs 17 crores ko dubane ka kaam kiya hai,” (If it had been about Rs 5 crore, then it would have been sorted in 2012 itself. The Rs 5 crore ballooned into Rs 17 crore), he said, claiming the dispute eventually ballooned into losses estimated between Rs 17 and Rs 22 crores.

He also added on the troubled production journey of Ata Pata Laapata, stating that a significant portion of the film had already been completed before complications emerged.

“Rs 12 crores had already been spent... it became a Rs 22 crores project… If even enemies are involved in a project, they should let it release. The audience should decide,” he said.

Responding to allegations of fraud linked to the case, Yadav drew a line between failure and wrongdoing. “In the film industry, out of 100 films, 20 work and 80 fail... If a film fails, it doesn’t mean fraud has been committed,” he said.

He also maintained faith in the judicial process while reflecting on the prolonged legal battle. “This fight was not started by me, but it will end because of me,” he added.

Yadav is currently seen in Bhooth Bangla, which released in cinemas on April 16.