Perth, 1985. India were trailing West Germany 1-5 at hockey's Champions Trophy with about eight minutes left when a 20-year-old fullback picked up the ball near the halfway line, ran at the defence, skipped past four defenders, and lifted it over the goalkeeper. It sparked a comeback still counted among Indian hockey's greatest. India scored four times in that spell to draw 5-5. Forty-one years later, the Congress has handed him the ball in Punjab with lots to defend against, and everything to play for. "It all happened so fast. Maybe the Germans did not expect it from me," Pargat Singh recalled about that match in Australia in a 1991 interview. On Friday, the party named the former Olympic captain its state unit chief, two days after Amarinder Singh Raja Warring resigned and months before the 2027 Assembly elections. Picking Pargat was a fallback, though not purely defensive. Former minister Vijay Inder Singla, a Hindu from the Bania (trader) community who he...
Actor Rajpal Yadav's recent surrender at Tihar Jail in connection with a long-running cheque bounce and loan default case has brought renewed attention to his personal and professional journey.
Amid the legal developments, an old interview of Nawazuddin Siddiqui with The Lallantop has resurfaced, offering a glimpse into a lesser-known side of Rajpal.
What Did Nawazuddin Siddiqui Say About Rajpal Yadav?
Nawazuddin recalled that many struggling actors depended on Rajpal for basic sustenance.
He had said, "A lot of people would eat at his home when Rajpal began to get good work, and he never complained. He always helped people. Not just me, when a lot of actors were struggling, his house was like a langar. Anybody could come and eat there. He jokes a lot, but in reality, he is a very sensitive human being."
Nawazuddin and Rajpal's friendship began long before either became a familiar face in Hindi cinema. The two trained together at Bharatendu Natya Academy in Lucknow and later at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.
Speaking about their academic background, Nawazuddin had said, "We only took training in acting for five years. If we speak academically, Rajpal and I have the most education in this industry (in acting). We don't look like it, but we're the most educated actors here (laughs). He is an amazing human being."
About Rajpal Yadav's Case
In recent years, Rajpal has been battling severe financial distress. The legal case that culminated in his surrender dates back to 2010 and involves unpaid loans and dishonoured cheques issued to a lender.
After multiple cheques were returned unpaid, criminal proceedings were initiated under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
In April 2018, a magistrate's court convicted the actor and his wife in several cheque bounce cases, sentencing him to six months' imprisonment. The decision was upheld by a sessions court in 2019, following which he approached the Delhi High Court.
Although loan defaults are generally treated as civil matters, the High Court took a firm stance due to his repeated failure to honour payment commitments. He was granted several opportunities to clear his dues in instalments, but consistently missed deadlines.
The court later directed him to deposit Rs 1.35 crore in each of seven cases and ordered the release of deposited amounts to the complainant. In October 2025, he submitted two demand drafts worth Rs 75 lakh, yet nearly Rs 9 crore remained unpaid.
In June 2024, his sentence was temporarily suspended, with the court urging him to take "sincere and genuine measures" to resolve the matter. However, little progress followed. On February 2, 2026, the court instructed him to surrender by February 4. After failing to comply, his counsel's plea for more time was rejected.
On February 5, 2026, Rajpal appeared in court with a fresh repayment proposal, which was declined. He subsequently surrendered at Tihar Jail.
ALSO READ: How The Film Ata Pata Laapata Got Rajpal Yadav Sent To Tihar Jail In Rs 9-Crore Debt Case
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/d9C2jJ8
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