Actor Rajpal Yadav surrenders at Tihar after HC refusal, says ‘I have no money, no friends’

Actor Rajpal Yadav surrendered at Delhi’s Tihar Jail recently after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him more time in a long-running cheque-bounce case. Moments before turning himself in, the 54-year-old actor spoke candidly about his financial distress, saying he had neither the money to repay the loan nor friends to turn to for help.

“Sir, kya karoon? Mere paas paise nahin hain (What should I do? I don’t have the money),” Yadav said in an earlier interaction, admitting that he could see no way out of the crisis. When asked whether he had sought support from colleagues in the film industry, he responded bluntly: “Yahan hum sab akele hain (We are all alone here). There are no friends. I have to deal with this crisis on my own.”

Court rejects plea, orders immediate surrender

The High Court had earlier directed Yadav to surrender by February 4. After he failed to comply, his counsel sought additional time, arguing that the delay was due to efforts to arrange repayment. The bench, however, refused to recall its order and directed him to surrender immediately.

“In these circumstances, this Court finds no merit in the plea… He is directed to surrender to the Jail Superintendent, Tihar, immediately today,” the order stated.

The court made it clear that professional background cannot be grounds for leniency. “This Court cannot be expected to show or create special circumstances for any person merely because such a person belongs to a particular background or industry,” the bench observed, underscoring the principle of equality before law.

Tihar Jail officials later confirmed that Yadav appeared before the Jail Superintendent around 4 pm, shortly after the order was passed.

The ₹5 crore loan dispute

The case dates back to 2010, when Yadav and his wife, Radha Yadav, allegedly took a ₹5 crore loan from a Delhi-based businessman to finance his directorial debut, Ata Pata Laapata. Though the film released in 2012, the loan was reportedly not repaid.

A complaint was filed in 2018 under cheque-bounce provisions. Yadav was summoned multiple times during proceedings and had earlier spent 10 days in judicial custody in connection with the matter.

The High Court noted that its earlier order left “no room for confusion” regarding the surrender deadline and warned that repeated leniency would undermine the authority of judicial directives.

Industry reacts

The actor’s legal setback drew support from parts of the film fraternity. Actor Sonu Sood publicly backed Yadav, urging the industry to stand by him during what he termed a difficult phase.

“Rajpal Yadav is a gifted actor who has given years of unforgettable work to our industry. Sometimes life turns unfair… timing can be brutal,” Sood wrote on X. He suggested that producers and colleagues extend financial support through signing amounts adjustable against future work, calling it “dignity, not charity.”

A career spanning decades

Rajpal Yadav has been a familiar face in Hindi cinema for over two decades, known for his comic timing in films such as Hungama, Dhol and Bhool Bhulaiyaa. He has appeared in nearly 150 films across multiple languages, carving a niche as one of Bollywood’s most recognisable character actors.

He was last seen in Baby John (2024) and Interrogation (2025), and is set to appear next in Priyadarshan’s horror-comedy Bhoot Bangla alongside Akshay Kumar.

For now, however, the actor’s professional commitments stand overshadowed by a legal battle that has culminated in his surrender — a stark reminder, as the court stressed, that the law applies equally to all.