Why Rajpal Yadav is in Tihar jail?
It all started in 2010, when he allegedly borrowed Rs 5 crore from Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to support his directorial venture Ata Pata Laapata. However, the picture bombed at the box office, causing him financial turmoil and making it difficult to repay the debt. Several cheques issued by the Bhool Bhulaiyaa actor later bounced, sparking judicial action under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
In April 2018, a Magistrate’s Court convicted Rajpal Yadav and his wife under Section 138 of the Act and sentenced them to six months in prison. He opposed the ruling and sought a remedy through various appeals, but the matter persisted for years, resulting in an outstanding amount of nearly Rs 9 crore.
However, the actor paid up some of his debts, including Rs 75 lakh in 2025, gradually. With persistent delays and failure to fulfil court-imposed deadlines prompted the judiciary to question his intentions, with observations pointing to a “lack of seriousness” in settling the case.
On February 4, 2026, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma denied Rajpal Yadav’s final request for a one-week extension to arrange finances. The court ruled that recurrent leniency could not be granted, regardless of an individual’s profile, and ordered the actor to surrender without delay.
Earlier, while talking to Bollywood Hungama, Rajpal Yadav opened up about his financial difficulties and said that he doesn’t have the money to pay back and there’s no other way out.
On being asked, if he considered help from his industry friends, Rajpal further added that “we are all on our own over here. There are no friends”.
Industry members and politicians come out in support
As Rajpal Yadav faces serious financial trouble, several well-known personalities have come forward to support him. On Tuesday (February 10), actors Sonu Sood and Gurmeet Choudhary, along with politician Tej Pratap Yadav, offered help to the actor and his family. Tej Pratap Yadav, president of the Jan Shakti Janata Dal and son of Lalu Yadav, announced financial assistance of Rs 11 lakh and expressed solidarity with the family in a post on X.
Sonu Sood offered Rajpal a role in his film along with a small signing amount, saying it was not charity but professional support. He also urged members of the film industry to stand by him. Gurmeet Choudhary said he was heartbroken to see a senior and talented actor go through such a difficult phase and requested the industry to come together and help.
According to Mint report, Rajpal Yadav has also received Rs 1.11 crore in financial assistance from music producer Rao Inderjeet Singh Yadav after surrendering at Tihar Jail in connection with a decade-old cheque bounce case. In its recent judgment, the Delhi High Court said Rajpal must pay Rs 1.35 crore in each of the seven cases against him. The court also directed that the amount already deposited with the registrar general be released to the complainant. Stay tuned for more details.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source m.economictimes.com ’
