
The Supreme Court on Monday, 5 October 2026, strongly rebuked Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav for failing to deposit Rs 5 crore with the court registry as directed, in a long-running cheque bounce case. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana told Yadav, 'Your place is in jail.' The court noted Yadav had been given 16 days from 15 September to pay, but had submitted only a photocopy of a Rs 50 lakh draft, which the bench doubted was genuine.

Yadav's lawyer argued the complainants were not poor, prompting Justice Bagchi to retort, 'They may be richer than you, but they are poor to the extent you have swindled them.' The court declined to dismiss the appeal immediately to allow the complainant to recover money, but warned of contempt proceedings. It directed payment by Tuesday, 6 October 2026, and listed the matter for Wednesday, 7 October 2026 as the first case, calling this the final opportunity.
All three outlets report the same court proceedings and the judge's sharp remarks. Barandbench.com provides the most detailed timeline and legal background, including the history of undertakings and the consent agreement dispute. Abplive.com frames the story around the Rs 2 crore shortfall and adds the Delhi High Court's July 2026 sentence of three months and Rs 1.35 crore fine. Indiatvnews.com mentions the loan was for Yadav's 2012 film 'Ata Pata Laapata' and that Salman Khan and Sonu Sood offered financial help after his arrest, adding a human-interest angle absent from the other two. The coverage is uniformly neutral-report in tone, with no outlet taking a pro-government or critical stance. The key watch item is Wednesday's hearing, where the court will assess compliance.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): barandbench.com (neutral report), abplive.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.