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In a fresh hearing in the cheque bounce case involving Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, the Delhi High Court on Monday granted an interim suspension of his sentence till March 18.
The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, while passing the order, directed Yadav to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with one surety of the same amount. The Court noted that Rs 1.5 crore has been deposited in the respondent's bank account while considering the relief. It ordered the suspension of the sentence on the condition that Yadav furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with one surety of the same amount. He will remain out of custody until March 18, when the court is scheduled to hear the matter again. This was after the private company M/S Murli Project's lawyer, Advocate Avneet Singh Sikka, confirmed that Yadav deposited Rs 1.5 crore into the company's bank accounts against the bounced cheque amount. Earlier in the day, the counsel for Yadav, Adv. Bhaskar Upadhyay submitted that they were ready to deposit Rs 1.5 crore, without any conditions, through a fixed deposit receipt (FDR). However, Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma directed that the amount be paid by Demand Draft (DD). The Court noted that Rs 25 lakh had already been deposited by DD in the name of the respondents, and that the actor had previously submitted another DD of Rs 75 lakh. Previously, the Delhi High Court had sought a reply from the complainant on Yadav's bail application and listed the matter for Monday at the request of his counsel. During that hearing, the actor's lawyer informed the Court that a bail application had been filed and sought time to work out a solution, stating that he had been unable to contact the actor. Accepting the request, the bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma directed the complainant to file a response and adjourned the matter for further consideration. The Court also made strong observations, noting that Yadav had been jailed for failing to honour commitments made earlier before the Court. While reviewing the case file, the Court noted that several issues had emerged and that the earlier order had already been challenged before the Supreme Court, which did not grant any relief. Earlier, the High Court withdrew the leniency granted to Yadav in a series of cheque dishonour cases and directed him to surrender before the concerned Jail Superintendent, observing that he had repeatedly breached undertakings given to the Court regarding the payment of settlement amounts. The sentence awarded by the trial court had earlier been suspended to facilitate settlement, but the Court found that the commitments made over time were not honoured, resulting in these proceedings. (ANI)
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