Kamal Ghorui
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday made it clear that Rajpal Yadav would not be taken into custody, even as it vacated an earlier interim order that had suspended his sentence in a cheque bounce case.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma made the observation while refusing to pass directions on a plea filed by the complainant, who had sought cancellation of the suspension order. During the hearing, the complainant’s counsel pointed out, “My application for vacation of the suspension of sentence is also pending.”
Responding to this, Justice Sharma said, “I do not find any reason. He is not running away. He is still here. He is not running away. Kahin nahi jaa rahe (He is not going anywhere).”Earlier, on February 16, the court had granted interim relief to Yadav by suspending his sentence, which led to his release after he had been in custody since February 5.During the proceedings, Yadav appeared in person to present his case. This drew objections from the complainant’s lawyer, who argued that the actor was turning the issue into a media spectacle. “Either he (Yadav) should argue, or his counsel,” the lawyer stated.Justice Sharma, however, dismissed concerns about media coverage, asserting, “Media trial ka kya hai wo to har ek cheez ka hota rehta hai. Mujhe koi fark nahi padta. Main media dekhti hi nahi hu media mein kya hota hai… meri kaan, aankhein sab band hoti hai. Mere liye he is an ordinary litigant, you are an ordinary litigant (What about media trials? That happens with everything. It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t watch the media at all... whatever happens in the media, my ears and eyes are closed. For me, he (Yadav) is an ordinary litigant. You are an ordinary litigant.”She further clarified that Yadav was not being heard because of his celebrity status. “Just because he is an actor main inko nahi sun rahi hu. Main to koi bhi litigant aate hain unko bhi sunti hu. Aap inko importance de rahe ho. Aur ek baat aur hai ki us litigant ne nahi bola ki main so and so hu (I am not listening to him just because he is an actor. I listen to every litigant. You’re giving him importance. Another thing, this litigant didn’t say that I’m so and so),” she added.The bench has now scheduled the matter for April 1 and indicated that it will attempt to conclude the case. It also noted that if Yadav intends to settle the dispute and repay the amount involved, he should return with a formal proposal.The 55-year-old actor had recently secured interim bail from the Delhi High Court in the same case, with relief granted until March 18 to allow him to attend his niece’s wedding in Shahjahanpur.
