A Mumbai sessions court has issued a non-bailable warrant against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma after rejecting his plea to suspend a three-month jail sentence in a cheque bounce case
File Pic
A sessions court in Mumbai has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma following the rejection of his plea seeking suspension of his jail sentence in a cheque bounce case, PTI reports.
According to PTI, on 21st January, Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Y P Pujari of Andheri convicted Varma under provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court sentenced him to a three-month imprisonment and directed him to pay Rs 3,72,219 to the complainant within a span of three months.
Subsequently, the filmmaker moved the sessions court in an attempt to secure suspension of his sentence. However, Additional Sessions Judge A A Kulkarni rejected his appeal on 4th March. As Varma failed to appear before the court, the judge issued an NBW against him while also turning down his request for suspension of the sentence, as per PTI.
The case has now been adjourned until 28th July, when the warrant is due for execution. The court has noted that Varma retains the liberty to apply for bail, but only after making a personal appearance before the court.
The case dates back to 2018, when a company lodged a complaint against Varma’s firm, alleging that a cheque issued by him had bounced. Advocate Rajesh Kumar Patel, representing the complainant, submitted an affidavit before the magistrate court detailing the events that led to the legal dispute.
As per PTI, the affidavit stated that the complainant’s company had been engaged in the business of providing hard disks for several years. Upon Varma’s request, the company supplied hard disks between February and March 2018, following which multiple tax invoices amounting to Rs 2,38,220 were raised.
In response, Varma’s firm issued a cheque dated 1st June 2018 to settle the amount. However, the cheque was dishonoured due to insufficient funds, according to PTI reports. The complainant then brought the matter to Varma’s notice, following which a second cheque of the same amount was issued. This, too, was dishonoured, this time with the reason stated as "payment stopped by drawer".
With no resolution in sight, the complainant was left with no choice but to pursue legal recourse, as per the affidavit.
Ram Gopal Varma, known for films such as Satya, Rangeela, Company, and Sarkar, now faces legal proceedings as the court moves forward with the case.
(With inputs from PTI)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
