BREAKING: Rajkumar Santoshi sentenced to two years in jail by Jamnagar court in cheque bouncing case

Rajkumar Santoshi, who is gearing up to take his passion project Lahore 1947 on floors, has faced a major legal hurdle. A court in Jamnagar on Saturday, February 17, sentenced him to jail for two years in a cheque bounce case. At the same time, the court also ordered the filmmaker to deposit double the amount that the filmmaker owed the complainant.

As per the reports, the complainant, Ashok Lal, a resident of Jamnagar and the owner of Shreeji Shipping, had loaned Rajkumar Santoshi Rs. 1 crore in 2015 for a film. To repay the loan, Rajkumar gave Ashok Lal 10 cheques of Rs. 10 lakhs each. These cheques bounced in December 2016. The complainant at first tried to establish contact with the filmmaker over this matter. When he failed to do so, Ashok Lal filed the suit under the Negotiable Instruments Act.

On April 15, 2023, the Jamnagar court had asked Rajkumar Santoshi to pay Rs. 15,000 for every cheque that got bounced, which amounts to Rs. 1.50 lakhs. During this time, Rajkumar Santosh refused to accept the court summons. Even after he accepted, he did not appear before the court. The filmmaker was forced to make an appearance in court after a bailable warrant was issued against him.

But today, the court ordered a two-year jail sentence for Rajkumar Santoshi. On top of it, it also asked him to repay double the amount, that is Rs. 2 crores, to the complainant. It now remains to be seen whether Rajkumar Santoshi manages to obtain bail and thereby avoid going to prison.

On the film front, Rajkumar Santoshi had two releases last year – Bad Boy, which launched Mithun Chakraborty’s son Namashi and Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh. Both sank without a trace at the box office. He is all set to begin work on Lahore 1947, starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. It also features Aamir Khan in an extended cameo. The superstar is also the producer of this period love story.

Also Read: Rajkumar Santoshi shares details about Shabana Azmi’s character in Lahore 1947, says, “Her character in Lahore 1947 is a central character and the story revolves around her character”