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Section 138: Dishonour of cheque for insufficiency, etc., of funds in the account.

The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881Central Act · Act 26 of 1881

[Where any cheque drawn by a person on an account maintained by him with a banker for payment of any amount of money to another person from out of that account for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability, is returned by the bank unpaid, either because of the amount of money standing to the credit of that account is insufficient to honour the cheque or that it exceeds the amount arranged to be paid from that account by an agreement made with that bank, such person shall be deemed to have committed an offence and shall, without prejudice to any other provision of this Act, be punished with imprisonment for [a term which may be extended to two years], or with fine which may extend to twice the amount of the cheque, or with both:

Provided that nothing contained in this section shall apply unless--

(a) the cheque has been presented to the bank within a period of six months from the date on which it is drawn or within the period of its validity, whichever is earlier;

(b) the payee or the holder in due course of the cheque, as the case may be, makes a demand for the payment of the said amount of money by giving a notice; in writing, to the drawer of the cheque, [within thirty days] of the receipt of information by him from the bank regarding the return of the cheque as unpaid; and

(c) the drawer of such cheque fails to make the payment of the said amount of money to the payee or, as the case may be, to the holder in due course of the cheque, within fifteen days of the receipt of the said notice.

Explanation.-- For the purposes of this section, debt of other liability means a legally enforceable debt or other liability.

Where this provision sits

ActThe Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
Section138
Marginal noteDishonour of cheque for insufficiency, etc., of funds in the account.
JurisdictionCentral
StatusIn force as published by the source
Judgments citing it22,682

How this provision has been amended

Taken from the footnotes printed with the provision by the source. Where a footnote names the amending instrument, it is quoted as printed.

  • inserted, Act 66 of 1988. . Ins. by Act 66 of 1988, s, 4 (w.e.f. 1-4-1989).
  • substituted, Act 55 of 2002. . Subs. by Act 55 of 2002, s.7, for certain words (w.e.f. 6-2-2003).
  • substituted. . Subs. by s. 7, ibid., for within fifteen days (w.e.f. 6-2-2003).

Judgments that turned on this provision

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