Couple Sentenced to 18 Months in ₹38.5 Lakh Cheque Bounce Case
Babushahi Network
Chandigarh, March 14, 2026: A district court in Chandigarh has sentenced a Mohali-based couple to 18 months’ imprisonment in an eight-year-old cheque bounce case involving ₹38.5 lakh. The court also directed the convicts to pay compensation equivalent to the cheque amount.
The verdict was delivered by Judicial Magistrate First Class Divya Sharma on a complaint filed by Sanjeev Banka, proprietor of Karans Marketing. According to complainant’s counsel Harish Chhabra, Karans Marketing deals in electrical goods and DWC pipes, while the accused firm, M/s Swastika Enterprises based in Mohali, used to purchase goods on credit. The firm was engaged in laying OFC cables for telecom projects.
The court was told that the two parties had business dealings for a long time. Over time, the accused accumulated a liability of ₹38,50,038, which included the cost of goods supplied, interest on delayed payments, penalties for not submitting C-Forms, and a personal cash loan.
To clear the dues, the accused issued a cheque of ₹38.5 lakh dated April 21, 2017. However, when the complainant presented the cheque in the bank, it was dishonoured due to insufficient funds.
The complainant then sent a legal notice within the stipulated 15 days demanding payment, but received no response, after which the matter was taken to court.
During the trial, the accused argued that the cheque had been issued as a blank security cheque and that the accounts had already been settled. The court, however, rejected their defence and convicted Sunita Thakur, proprietor of the firm, and her husband Praveen Kumar Thakur, sentencing both to 18 months in jail.