15 October,2026 06:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rajpal Yadav (Pic/Instagram)
The Supreme Court has referred actor Rajpal Yadav's long-running cheque-dishonour dispute to mediation after noting that he has deposited Rs 2 crore with its registry. The court has also directed the trial court to release his passport, subject to conditions, allowing him to pursue professional commitments abroad as efforts continue to resolve the financial dispute.
According to PTI, the Supreme Court on Thursday referred Rajpal Yadav's long-running cheque-dishonour dispute to mediation after noting that the actor has deposited Rs 2 crore with its registry.
The top court also directed the trial court to release Yadav's passport to enable him to pursue professional commitments abroad, subject to the conditions imposed on him.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the matter appeared capable of an amicable settlement in view of the amount deposited and the issues raised by the parties.
"A sum of Rs 2 crore has been deposited by the petitioners (Yadav and his spouse) with the registry. Owing to the issues briefly raised, it seems to us that the matter can be amicably resolved through mediation," the bench said.
The CJI said he would appoint a sole mediator to ensure an amicable resolution of the dispute. "Parties to contact the mediator and fix the date for appearance. The mediator can ask the parties to appear in person or online. To enable petitioner No. 1 (Yadav) to continue professional pursuit, the trial court shall release his passport subject to such conditions as may be imposed by the court."
On September 15, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana gave the actor the last opportunity of two weeks to come up with a concrete proposal to pay an outstanding amount to a private firm and directed him to deposit Rs 2 crore with the apex court registry.
The court was critical of the fact that, despite the expiry of the two-week period, no payment had been made by October 5. The actor has deposited Rs 1.15 crore through a demand draft and plans to raise the remaining Rs 85 lakh by selling ancestral property.
For the unversed, Rajpal Yadav reportedly took a loan of around Rs 5 crore from a Delhi-based company to make his first film as a director, Ata Pata Laapata, back in 2010. The movie did not perform well at the box office, failing to earn enough money to cover the costs. The issue led to multiple cheque-bounce complaints against the actor and his wife. He was even jailed in the matter.
