Practice area
Cheque Bounce & Recovery
A bounced cheque starts a clock, and the law is strict about it. Miss the notice period and the complaint cannot be filed at all, however clearly the money is owed.
What is handled
What this covers
If your problem is not on this list, still ask. Real cases rarely fit neatly into one box.
- Cheque bounce complaints under section 138
- Defending a cheque bounce case
- Legal demand notices
- Loan and finance disputes
- Money recovery cases and enforcing a decree
- Settlement and closing the case
The law
Which laws apply here
Listed so you can read them yourself. Nothing on this page can replace advice given on your own facts.
- Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
- Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
- Indian Contract Act, 1872
Questions
Cheque questions we are asked
There are three, and all of them are strict. The cheque must be given to the bank within three months of the date written on it. A written demand notice must be sent within thirty days of the bank returning it. If the money is not paid within fifteen days of that notice, the complaint must be filed in the next thirty days. Missing any one of them usually ends the case.
Yes. This is one of the offences the law allows the two sides to settle, and courts encourage it — often at the very first hearing. Settling early usually costs the accused less than fighting, and gets the complainant paid sooner than a trial would.
Have a cheque bounce & recovery problem?
The first meeting sorts out the facts and your real options — including when no case needs to be filed at all.