Rajpal Yadav has shared his first Instagram post after the Delhi High Court upheld his conviction in a cheque bounce case, sentencing him to three months’ imprisonment. Interestingly, the actor’s latest social media update is a light-hearted advertisement featuring Akshay Kumar.Rajpal took to Instagram on Friday to post a commercial for Catch Masala, also starring Akshay Kumar. In the advertisement, Akshay presents a lavish spread of dishes to a table full of women, who are left impressed by the delicious meal. Assuming Akshay is the chef, one of the women asks if she can kiss his hand. The twist comes when Rajpal walks in wearing an apron, and Akshay reveals that it was Rajpal who had cooked the meal using Catch Masala.The post comes just hours after the Delhi High Court upheld Rajpal’s conviction in the long-running cheque bounce case.
Delhi High Court upholds conviction
The case dates back to 2010, when Rajpal Yadav borrowed Rs 5 crore from M/s Murali Projects Pvt Ltd to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata. The film failed at the box office, and the actor was unable to repay the loan. With accumulated interest, the outstanding amount reportedly rose to nearly Rs 9 crore, leading to a prolonged legal dispute.In 2018, a magistrate court convicted Rajpal Yadav and his wife, Radha Yadav, sentencing them to six months’ imprisonment. A sessions court upheld the conviction in 2019, prompting the actor to challenge the verdict before the Delhi High Court.In June 2024, the High Court suspended his sentence temporarily and directed him to take “sincere and genuine measures” to clear the nearly Rs 9 crore dues. However, on February 2 this year, the court ordered him to surrender. Rajpal surrendered on February 5 and remained in jail for a few days before being granted interim bail on February 16 after depositing Rs 1.5 crore.On Friday, July 10, the High Court upheld the conviction and reduced the jail term to three months. It also imposed a fine of Rs 1.05 crore in each case, amounting to Rs 7.35 crore. His wife, Radha Rajpal Yadav, was directed to pay a fine of over Rs 5 lakh in each case.
Court pulls up Rajpal Yadav
According to the court, Rajpal Yadav repeatedly failed to honour the commitments he made regarding repayment despite being given several opportunities.“Opportunities were granted to honour the settlement. He [Yadav] and his counsel made several statements and assurances, and despite these repeated opportunities and assurances, he failed to honour the undertakings,” the court observed, as reported by Bar and Bench.
