Actor Rajpal Yadav, widely known for his role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa, has received interim bail
from the Delhi High Court in an ongoing financial dispute case. The complaint was lodged by businessman Madhav Gopal Agarwal. During the recent hearing, Yadav’s counsel made a significant claim, suggesting that the matter escalated due to an incident at a public event where Amitabh Bachchan was also present.
Lawyer Claims Dispute Went Beyond Financial Matters
According to advocate Bhaskar Upadhyay, the case cannot be viewed merely as a monetary disagreement. He explained that Agarwal had extended a loan of ₹5 crore to Yadav for the production of his film Ata Pata Laapata. An initial agreement was signed between both parties, followed by three supplementary agreements by August 2012.
As part of the arrangement, Yadav reportedly issued five cheques that were scheduled to be cleared starting December 2012. However, tensions reportedly began during the film’s music launch event in September 2012. The event was attended by megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The lawyer claimed that the complainant wished to join the stage during the function but was allegedly not permitted by Yadav’s team. Soon after, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking to halt the film’s release.
Payment Made, Fresh Agreement Signed
In December 2012, the first cheque amounting to ₹60,60,350 was successfully cleared. Following this payment, the complainant agreed to withdraw the stay on the film’s release. In 2013, both parties signed a fresh consent agreement, which nullified all previous contracts.
Later, in 2016, the court recalculated the outstanding dues and fixed the total liability at ₹10.40 crore. The businessman also reportedly submitted in writing that upon repayment of this amount, earlier agreements would not be revived. The court clarified that any recovery must follow due legal procedure.
Recovery Efforts and Further Legal Complications
The recovery proceedings began in 2016, during which approximately ₹1.90 crore was paid on Yadav’s behalf. To cover the remaining balance, a third party, Anant Dattaram, offered a property valued at ₹15 crore as security. However, the complainant declined to accept the property as a guarantee and instead requested the court to impose imprisonment on the actor. The defense maintains that official records reflect this development and that recovery proceedings were halted when no mutually acceptable solution was reached.
The lawyer further argued that a new legal complication arose when the complainant initiated proceedings based on cheques linked to the earlier agreement, despite it having been declared void under the 2013 consent terms. In 2018, a trial court convicted Rajpal Yadav and imposed a penalty of ₹11.5 crore. In the same year, another court reportedly sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment.
Appeal and Current Status
Yadav’s legal team challenged the rulings in 2019. However, procedural errors by a newly appointed legal team at that time allegedly added complexity to the case. Recently, the Delhi High Court granted interim bail to the actor. His lawyers are now seeking a detailed hearing and a fair reassessment of the entire matter.
Further updates are awaited as the case continues in court.