Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 19: A court in Anantnag today sentenced a man to one year’s simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh in an eight-year-old cheque bounce case.
The judgment, delivered by Presiding Officer Anurag Khajuria of the Court of District Mobile Magistrate (Traffic), brings to a close a legal battle that began in 2018.
The court found Mushtaq Ahmad Ganie, son of Ghulam Nabi Ganie and a resident of Nussu Badragund, Qazigund, guilty of issuing a cheque that was dishonoured due to insufficient funds.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a land broker from Sangam Marhama, Bijbehara, who stated that Ganie had borrowed Rs 21 lakh from him in 2017.
After repeated delays in repayment, Ganie issued Cheque No. 540609 dated February 19, 2018, for the full amount.
However, the cheque was returned unpaid by J&K Bank’s Mirbazar branch with the remark “funds insufficient.”
Despite being served a legal notice on March 31, 2018, Ganie failed to clear the liability, prompting Bhat to file a complaint on April 16, 2018.
During the trial, the accused disputed his identity, claiming he was “Bashir Ahmad Ganie, son of Ghulam Mohidin Ganie,” and not the person named in the complaint.
The court rejected this defence based on testimony from the complainant, supporting witnesses, and the bank manager, who confirmed that the account and cheque in question belonged to the accused.
In its order, the court observed that the accused had taken a substantial amount of money, delayed repayment, issued a cheque that bounced, and later attempted to evade responsibility by contesting his identity.
Along with the one-year sentence, the court ordered Ganie to pay Rs 25 lakh as a fine, carrying simple interest at nine percent per annum from the date of the cheque until the judgment.
The amount is to be paid as compensation to the complainant. In case of default, the accused will undergo an additional six months of simple imprisonment.
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