Ram Gopal Varma sentenced to three months jail in cheque bounce case

The Andheri Magistrate Court, which had been hearing the case for seven years, announced the verdict on Tuesday.

Hyderabad: Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma, known for films like Satya and Raktha Charitra, has been sentenced to three months of simple imprisonment by a Mumbai court in a cheque bounce case.

The Andheri Magistrate Court, which had been hearing the case for seven years, announced the verdict on Tuesday.

---

Varma was found guilty under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which penalises cheque dishonour due to insufficient funds or exceeding the account’s arranged amount.

The court also ordered him to pay Rs 3.72 lakh as compensation to the complainant within three months. Failure to do so will result in an additional three months of imprisonment.

The case was filed in 2018 by a company named Shree through Maheshchandra Mishra against Varma’s firm. In June 2022, Varma was granted bail after providing a personal bond and a cash security of Rs 5,000.

Magistrate Y.P. Pujari, while pronouncing the sentence, clarified that there would be no set-off under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as Varma had not been in custody during the trial.

Varma did not attend the hearing. The court’s detailed judgment is awaited.

The director’s upcoming project is titled Syndicate, set against the backdrop of a terrifying new criminal organisation.