BJP MLA sent to 2 Years Jail in Cheque Bounce Case

The Government of India has created some tough rules for cheque bounce. This is reflected by the recent news of MLA going to Jail in Cheque Bounce Case.

A Mohali court has sentenced Raitu Techi, a sitting BJP MLA from Sagalee constituency in Arunachal Pradesh, and three senior officials of TK Engineering Construction Pvt Ltd to two years of simple imprisonment in a cheque bounce case.

The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 5.55 crore on the convicts.

The verdict was delivered by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) Abhay Rajan Shukla, who found the four guilty under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

Raitu Techi is aged 60 years and was elected unopposed in the 2024 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections. Alongside Raitu Techi, who also serves as the managing director of the company, the other convicted individuals are company directors Tara Techi and Julli Techi, and General Manager PK Roy. All four were present in court when the judgment was announced and were granted bail to appeal in a higher court.

The case arose from a business transaction involving GTC-M-TRADEZ LLP, a firm based in Morinda, Punjab. TK Engineering Construction Pvt Ltd had issued post-dated cheques of Rs 50 lakh each to the supplier as payment for construction materials.

The cheques were dishonoured on two occasions—first on February 25, 2020, and again on March 31, 2020—citing insufficient funds. Despite a legal notice served to the accused, no response was received, prompting legal action.

The court rejected the defence’s plea for leniency, which argued that the accused were senior citizens and first-time offenders.

In his judgment, JMIC Shukla said, “The convicts showed utter disregard for the law of the land. Adopting a lenient view for such unwarranted acts would further promote lawlessness in our society, which is already going through a grim phase.”

The complainant’s counsel, Tejwinder Singh Gill, appearing for Kulwinder Singh Grewal of GTC-M-TRADEZ LLP, had urged the court to impose the maximum penalty to serve as a deterrent. The court also noted that any payments already made by the accused during the proceedings, and accepted by the complainant, would be adjusted against the compensation amount.

This clearly shows that cheque bounce cases are dealt with very seriously in India. The Government has created legal provisions to safeguard citizens from cheque scams.