Two convicted for bounced cheques

Mumbai: A sessions court recently upheld an order sentencing a businessman and his manager to four months in jail after cheques worth around ₹16 lakh issued by them were dishonoured.

Shravan and Kishan Bishnoi, respectively the proprietor and manager of a firm, issued two cheques worth ₹7.86 lakh and ₹8.17 lakh to a company from which they had purchased tubes on July 3, 2012. The proprietor of the company deposited the cheques on January 14, 2013. When the cheques were dishonoured, he sent demand notices to the Bishnois. They failed to respond to the notices, and he approached the police.

The metropolitan magistrate’s court at Mazgaon convicted and sentenced them to four months in jail and fined them ₹10 lakh.

The Bishnois challenged the conviction before the additional sessions judge, saying the company had not delivered the goods. Shravan Bishnoi said he was not the authorised signatory and that the notices were sent to the wrong location. Kishan Bishnoi said he signed the cheques on behalf of the firm, and the proprietor was obligated to pay.

Additional Sessions Judge Milind Kurtadikar said the goods had been delivered, and the cheques had been dishonoured. The accused had insufficient funds in their accounts as per the bank memo, and ignored the notices. The court said, “There is no reason to interfere with [the] judgement.”