Rajkumar Santoshi granted conditional bail in Rs.1 crore cheque bounce case

Ahmedabad | Gujarat —– The Gujarat High Court has granted conditional bail to veteran Bollywood filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi in connection with an alleged ₹1 crore cheque bounce case, bringing temporary relief to the director known for landmark films such as Ghayal, Damini, and Andaz Apna Apna.

Justice Hasmukh Suthar passed the order granting ad-interim relief by suspending the sentence issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Jamnagar, which was earlier upheld by the Jamnagar Sessions Court. The bail comes with strict financial and travel-related conditions.

₹5 lakh deposit and two instalment payments ordered

Santoshi’s advocate submitted to the court an undertaking that ₹5 lakh would be deposited with the High Court registry immediately, while the remaining ₹83 lakh will be paid in two instalments — ₹41.50 lakh each on November 30 and December 31, 2025.

Accepting this undertaking, the court ordered that Santoshi furnish a personal bond of ₹10,000 with a surety and directed that he must not leave India or change his residential address without the court’s prior permission. The original undertaking is to be filed before the High Court registry on or before November 7.

Defense cites lack of legal enforceability

During the hearing, Santoshi’s counsel argued that the complaint was not legally maintainable, asserting that the alleged transactions occurred between 2014 and 2016, and that the complainant’s power of attorney holder, Praful Lal Mehta, had no authority or personal knowledge of the transactions in question.

The defense also claimed that the alleged loan transaction lacked validity under the Gujarat Money Lenders Act, stating that there was no legally enforceable debt and that the complaint was based merely on assumptions, without evidence to support it.

Prosecution seeks time; High Court intervenes

The complainant’s lawyer requested an adjournment, informing the court that Santoshi’s surrender period had expired on October 27, and that the revision plea was filed during the court vacation.

Earlier, the Magistrate’s Court in Jamnagar had convicted Rajkumar Santoshi under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, sentencing him to two years of simple imprisonment and directing him to pay a fine twice the cheque amount within 30 days. The Sessions Court upheld this order on October 15, asking him to surrender.