The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up actor Rajpal Yadav for failing to comply with its direction to deposit ₹5 crore with the Court Registry as a condition for continuing interim protection from surrender in seven cheque dishonour cases.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana was hearing Yadav’s plea challenging his conviction and sentence in the cheque-bounce cases.
The Court had on September 15 granted Yadav a final opportunity to deposit ₹5 crore and extended his interim protection from surrender until October 5. Despite the direction, the amount had not been deposited when the matter came up for hearing on Monday.
The Bench expressed strong displeasure over the non-compliance. Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed:
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“His arrogance needs to be put in its right place. We were inclined to ignore the way he is treating this Court in order to secure some money for the complainant. Otherwise, we want to just dismiss his application.”
Yadav’s counsel sought further time to comply with the deposit condition. The Court, however, made it clear that the petitioner had already been granted sufficient time and that the earlier direction had specifically been described as a “last opportunity.”
The Court nevertheless granted Yadav another opportunity to comply, directing that the ₹5 crore be deposited by the following day. The matter was directed to be listed shortly thereafter.
Also Read: Delhi High Court Affirms Rajpal Yadav’s Conviction in ₹9 Crore Cheque Bounce Cases