The Delhi High Court has upheld Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav’s conviction in multiple cheque dishonour cases but reduced his sentence and fine. The court considered the amount Yadav had already paid to the complainant during the legal process. The actor’s sentence was reduced from six months to three months of simple imprisonment in each of the seven cases, with the fine lowered from Rs 1.60 crore to Rs 1.05 crore per case.
The High Court granted credit for Rs 2.25 crore deposited by Yadav, which had been released to the complainant, M/s Murli Projects Pvt Ltd. Additionally, the court directed that all substantive sentences would run concurrently. Out of the fine in each case, Rs 1,04,75,000 will go to the complainant, while Rs 25,000 will be credited to the State. The fine imposed on co-convict Radha Rajpal Yadav was also reduced to Rs 5,51,380 in each case.
Despite the reduction in sentence and fine, the court refused to interfere with the conviction. Justice Sharma mentioned that Yadav failed to honor undertakings given before the court despite opportunities for settlement. The court also declined Yadav’s request for release on probation, emphasizing the importance of abiding by legal principles and court decisions.
