Reserved On: 28.07.2025 vs Kamla Devi on 7 August, 2025

[Cites 49, Cited by 0]

Himachal Pradesh High Court

Reserved On: 28.07.2025 vs Kamla Devi on 7 August, 2025

2025:HHC:26561 IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, SHIMLA Cr. Revision No. 503 of 2022 Reserved on: 28.07.2025 .

Date of Decision: 07.8.2025.

    Kusum Sharma                                                                 ...Petitioner
                                          Versus
    Kamla Devi                                                               ...Respondent





    Coram

Hon'ble Mr Justice Rakesh Kainthla, Judge. Whether approved for reporting?1 No For the Petitioner : Mr. H.S. Rangra, Advocate. For the Respondent : M/s Yudhveer Singh Thakur and Ayush Chauhan, Advocates.

Rakesh Kainthla, Judge The present revision is directed against the judgment dated 28.07.2022, passed by learned Additional Sessions Judge, Sunder Nagar, District Mandi, H.P. (learned Appellate Court), vide which the judgment of conviction and order of sentence dated 31.03.2021, passed by learned Additional Chief Judicial, Court No.1, Sunder Nagar, District Mandi, H.P. (learned Trial Court) were upheld. (Parties shall hereinafter be referred to in the 1 Whether reporters of Local Papers may be allowed to see the judgment? Yes.

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2025:HHC:26561 same manner as they were arrayed before the learned Trial Court for convenience.) .

2. Briefly stated, the facts giving rise to the present revision are that the complainant filed a complaint before the learned Trial Court against the accused for taking action for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act (NI Act). It was alleged that the accused and complainant were known to each other. The accused borrowed ₹1,50,000/- from the complainant for her domestic needs. The complainant advanced the money to the accused. When the complainant demanded the money, the accused issued a post-dated cheque of ₹1,50,000/- drawn on State Bank of Patiala, Bhojpur, Tehsil Sundernagar, District Mandi, H.P. in favour of the complainant to discharge her legal liability. The complainant presented the cheque to her bank, Central Bank of India, Branch Sundernagarh, which sent it to the bank of the accused. However, the cheque was dishonoured with an endorsement 'insufficient funds'. The complainant served a notice upon the accused asking her to repay the amount within 15 days from the receipt of the notice. However, the accused failed to repay the money despite the receipt of the ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 3 2025:HHC:26561 notice. Hence, the complaint was filed before the learned Trial Court to take action against the accused as per the law.

3. The learned Trial Court found sufficient reasons to summon the accused. When the accused appeared, notice of accusation was put to her for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act, to which she pleaded not guilty and claimed to be tried.

4. The complainant examined herself (CW1) to prove her complaint

5. The accused, in her statement recorded under Section 313 of Cr.P.C., denied the case of the complainant. She stated that she had not issued any cheque, rather her cheque book was misplaced. She admitted that she had received a legal notice and claimed that she had given a reply to the notice. She stated that she had no liability, and there was no question of making any payment. The complainant used to make complaints against the officials of her department. She advised her not to do so. The complainant filed the present complaint against her due to this fact. She had reported the loss of the cheque book to ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 4 2025:HHC:26561 the police and executed an affidavit to this effect. Statement of Ankush Pathak (DW-1) was recorded in defence.

6. Learned Trial Court held that the accused did not dispute her signatures on the cheque. There was a presumption that the cheque was issued for consideration in discharge of the liability. The plea taken by the accused that she had lost the cheque book was not proved. The complaint made by her to the police was a unilateral document prepared at her instance. This was contrary to the suggestion given to the complainant in her cross-examination that she had stolen one cheque from the accused. The fact that the body of the cheque was not in the handwriting of the accused was not material because the holder of a cheque has the authority to fill it. The accused had failed to discharge the burden. The cheque was dishonoured with an endorsement 'insufficient funds'. The accused admitted the receipt of the notice and also stated that she had not paid any amount to the complainant because she had no liability. All the ingredients of the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act were duly satisfied. Hence, the accused was convicted of the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act and was sentenced to undergo simple ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 5 2025:HHC:26561 imprisonment for nine months, pay a fine of ₹2,25,000/-and in default of payment of fine to undergo further imprisonment for .

one month.

7. Being aggrieved by the judgment and order passed by the learned Trial Court, the accused filed an appeal, which was decided by the learned Appellate Court. Learned Appellate Court concurred with the findings recorded by the learned Trial Court that once the signatures on the cheque were admitted, a presumption would arise that the cheque was issued in discharge of legal liability for valuable consideration. The plea taken by the accused was contradictory because she had suggested to the complainant in her cross-examination that one cheque was stolen, whereas she had complained to the police that her whole cheque book was stolen. The accused did not produce any other evidence, and she had failed to discharge the burden placed upon her. The cheque was dishonoured with an endorsement 'insufficient funds' and the service of notice was not disputed. All the ingredients of the commission of the offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act were duly satisfied, and the learned Trial Court had rightly convicted the accused of the commission of the offence punishable under ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 6 2025:HHC:26561 Section 138 of the NI Act. The sentence of nine months and the fine of ₹2,25,000/- was not excessive, as the same was imposed .

after more than 5 years. Therefore, the appeal filed by the accused was dismissed.

8. Being aggrieved by the judgments and order passed by the learned Courts below, the accused has filed the present revision, asserting that the learned Courts below erred in appreciating the material placed before them. There were a lot of contradictions in the statement of the complainant, which made her version highly doubtful. The handwriting expert established that the body was not in the handwriting of the accused. She also made a complaint to the police that her cheque book was stolen. The handwriting expert probabilised the version of the accused that the complainant had stolen the cheque and filled in its body. The accused was not liable to pay any money to the complainant. The benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act was not granted to the accused. Therefore, it was prayed that the present revision be allowed and the judgments and order passed by the learned Courts below be set aside.

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9. I have heard Mr. H.S. Rangara, learned counsel for the petitioner and M/s Yudhveer Singh Thakur and Ayush .

Chauhan, learned counsel for the respondent.

10. Mr. H.S. Rangra, learned counsel for the petitioner/accused, submitted that the learned Courts below erred in appreciating the material placed before them. The defence raised by the accused that she had lost her cheque book was highly probable. She had made a complaint to the police to this effect in May 2016, whereas, cheque was stated to have been issued in November 2016. The accused could never have contemplated that her cheque would be dishonoured in November 2016, and the complaint made by her in May 2016 probabilised her version. The cheque was not filed in the handwriting of the accused. These aspects were ignored by the learned Courts below. Therefore, he prayed that the present revision petition be allowed and the judgments and order passed by the learned Courts below be set aside.

11. Mr. Yudhveer Singh Thakur, learned counsel for the respondent, supported the judgments and order passed by the learned Courts below. He submitted that the plea taken by the ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 8 2025:HHC:26561 accused that the cheque was stolen was not probable because she had not taken any steps to stop the payment of the cheque .

on its presentation. The mere fact that the body of the cheque was not in the handwriting of the accused is not sufficient to invalidate the cheque. He relied upon the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Oriental Bank of Commerce vs. Prabodh Kumar Tewari in Cr. Appeal No. 1260 of 2022, decided on 16th August, 2022, and judgment of this Court passed in Devi Singh vs Subhash Chand, in RSA No. 27 of 2024, decided on 20.03.2025, in support of his submission.

12. I have given considerable thought to the submissions made at the bar and have gone through the records carefully.

13. It was laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Malkeet Singh Gill v. State of Chhattisgarh, (2022) 8 SCC 204:

(2022) 3 SCC (Cri) 348: 2022 SCC OnLine SC 786 that the revisional court does not exercise an appellate jurisdiction and it can only rectify the patent defect, errors of jurisdiction or the law. It was observed at page 207: -

"10. Before adverting to the merits of the contentions, at the outset, it is apt to mention that there are concurrent findings of conviction arrived at by two courts after a detailed appreciation of the material and evidence ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 9 2025:HHC:26561 brought on record. The High Court in criminal revision against conviction is not supposed to exercise jurisdiction like the appellate court, and the scope of interference in revision is extremely narrow. Section 397 of the Criminal .

Procedure Code (in short "CrPC") vests jurisdiction to satisfy itself or himself as to the correctness, legality, or propriety of any finding, sentence, or order, recorded or passed, and as to the regularity of any proceedings of such inferior court. The object of the provision is to set right a patent defect or an error of jurisdiction or law. There has to be a well-founded error which is to be determined on the merits of individual cases. It is also well settled that while considering the same, the Revisional Court does not dwell at length upon the facts and evidence of the case to reverse those findings.

14. This position was reiterated in State of Gujarat v.

Dilipsinh Kishorsinh Rao, (2023) 17 SCC 688: 2023 SCC OnLine SC 1294, wherein it was observed at page 695:

14. The power and jurisdiction of the Higher Court under Section 397CrPC, which vests the court with the power to call for and examine records of an inferior court, is for the purposes of satisfying itself as to the legality and regularities of any proceeding or order made in a case.

The object of this provision is to set right a patent defect or an error of jurisdiction or law or the perversity which has crept in such proceedings.

15. It would be apposite to refer to the judgment of this Court in Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander [Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460: (2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687: (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986], where scope of Section 397 has been considered and succinctly explained as under: (SCC p. 475, paras 12-13) "12. Section 397 of the Code vests the court with the power to call for and examine the records of an inferior court for the purposes of satisfying itself as to ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 10 2025:HHC:26561 the legality and regularity of any proceedings or order made in a case. The object of this provision is to set right a patent defect or an error of jurisdiction or law. There has to be a well-founded error, and it may not .

be appropriate for the court to scrutinise the orders, which, upon the face of it, bear a token of careful consideration and appear to be in accordance with law. If one looks into the various judgments of this Court, it emerges that the revisional jurisdiction can be invoked where the decisions under challenge are grossly erroneous, there is no compliance with the provisions of law, the finding recorded is based on no evidence, material evidence is ignored, or judicial discretion is exercised arbitrarily or perversely. These are not exhaustive classes, but are merely indicative. Each case would have to be determined on its own merits.

13. Another well-accepted norm is that the revisional jurisdiction of the higher court is a very limited one and cannot be exercised in a routine manner. One of the inbuilt restrictions is that it should not be against an interim or interlocutory order. The Court has to keep in mind that the exercise of revisional jurisdiction itself should not lead to injustice ex facie. Where the Court is dealing with the question as to whether the charge has been framed properly and in accordance with law in a given case, it may be reluctant to interfere in the exercise of its revisional jurisdiction unless the case substantially falls within the categories aforestated. Even framing of charge is a much-advanced stage in the proceedings under CrPC."

16. This Court in the aforesaid judgment in Amit Kapoor case [Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460 :

(2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687 : (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986] has also laid down principles to be considered for exercise of jurisdiction under Section 397 particularly in the context of prayer for quashing of charge framed under Section 228CrPC is sought for as under : (Amit Kapoor case [Amit ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 11 2025:HHC:26561 Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460 : (2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687 : (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986], SCC pp. 482-83, para 27) "27. Having discussed the scope of jurisdiction under these two provisions, i.e., Section 397 and Section 482 .

of the Code, and the fine line of jurisdictional distinction, it will now be appropriate for us to enlist the principles with reference to which the courts should exercise such jurisdiction. However, it is not only difficult but inherently impossible to state such principles with precision. At best and upon objective analysis of various judgments of this Court, we are able to cull out some of the principles to be considered for proper exercise of jurisdiction, particularly, with regard to quashing of charge either in exercise of jurisdiction under Section 397 or Section 482 of the Code or together, as the case may be.

27.1. Though there are no limits to the powers of the Court under Section 482 of the Code but the more the power, the more due care and caution is to be exercised in invoking these powers. The power of quashing criminal proceedings, particularly the charge framed in terms of Section 228 of the Code, should be exercised very sparingly and with circumspection, and that too in the rarest of rare cases.

27.2. The Court should apply the test as to whether the uncontroverted allegations as made from the record of the case and the documents submitted therewith prima facie establish the offence or not. If the allegations are so patently absurd and inherently improbable that no prudent person can ever reach such a conclusion, and where the basic ingredients of a criminal offence are not satisfied, then the Court may interfere.

27.3. The High Court should not unduly interfere. No meticulous examination of the evidence is needed for considering whether the case would end in conviction ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 12 2025:HHC:26561 or not at the stage of framing of charge or quashing of charge.

*** .

27.9. Another very significant caution that the courts have to observe is that it cannot examine the facts, evidence and materials on record to determine whether there is sufficient material on the basis of which the case would end in a conviction; the court is concerned primarily with the allegations taken as a whole whether they will constitute an offence and, if so, is it an abuse of the process of court leading to injustice.

*** 27.13. Quashing of a charge is an exception to the rule of continuous prosecution. Where the offence is even broadly satisfied, the Court should be more inclined to permit continuation of prosecution rather than its quashing at that initial stage. The Court is not expected to marshal the records with a view to decide admissibility and reliability of the documents or records, but is an opinion formed prima facie."

17. The revisional court cannot sit as an appellate court and start appreciating the evidence by finding out inconsistencies in the statements of witnesses, and it is not legally permissible. The High Courts ought to be cognizant of the fact that the trial court was dealing with an application for discharge.

15. This position was reiterated in State of Gujarat v.

Dilipsinh Kishorsinh Rao, (2023) 17 SCC 688: 2023 SCC OnLine SC 1294, wherein it was observed at page 695:

14. The power and jurisdiction of the Higher Court under Section 397CrPC, which vests the court with the power to call for and examine records of an inferior court, is for the purposes of satisfying itself as to the legality and ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 13 2025:HHC:26561 regularities of any proceeding or order made in a case.

The object of this provision is to set right a patent defect or an error of jurisdiction or law or the perversity which has crept in such proceedings.

15. It would be apposite to refer to the judgment of this Court in Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander [Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460: (2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687: (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986], where scope of Section 397 has been considered and succinctly explained as under: (SCC p. 475, paras 12-13) "12. Section 397 of the Code vests the court with the power to call for and examine the records of an inferior court for the purposes of satisfying itself as to the legality and regularity of any proceedings or order made in a case. The object of this provision is to set right a patent defect or an error of jurisdiction or law.

There has to be a well-founded error, and it may not be appropriate for the court to scrutinise the orders, which, upon the face of it, bear a token of careful consideration and appear to be in accordance with law. If one looks into the various judgments of this Court, it emerges that the revisional jurisdiction can be invoked where the decisions under challenge are grossly erroneous, there is no compliance with the provisions of law, the finding recorded is based on no evidence, material evidence is ignored, or judicial discretion is exercised arbitrarily or perversely. These are not exhaustive classes, but are merely indicative. Each case would have to be determined on its own merits.

13. Another well-accepted norm is that the revisional jurisdiction of the higher court is a very limited one and cannot be exercised in a routine manner. One of the inbuilt restrictions is that it should not be against an interim or interlocutory order. The Court has to keep in mind that the exercise of revisional jurisdiction itself should not lead to injustice ex facie. Where the Court is dealing with the question as to whether the charge has been framed properly and in ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 14 2025:HHC:26561 accordance with law in a given case, it may be reluctant to interfere in the exercise of its revisional jurisdiction unless the case substantially falls within the categories aforestated. Even framing of charge is a .

much-advanced stage in the proceedings under CrPC."

16. This Court in the aforesaid judgment in Amit Kapoor case [Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460 :

(2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687 : (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986] has also laid down principles to be considered for exercise of jurisdiction under Section 397 particularly in the context of prayer for quashing of charge framed under Section 228CrPC is sought for as under : (Amit Kapoor case [Amit Kapoor v. Ramesh Chander, (2012) 9 SCC 460 : (2012) 4 SCC (Civ) 687 : (2013) 1 SCC (Cri) 986], SCC pp. 482-83, para 27) "27. Having discussed the scope of jurisdiction under these two provisions, i.e. Section 397 and Section 482 of the Code, and the fine line of jurisdictional distinction, it will now be appropriate for us to enlist the principles with reference to which the courts should exercise such jurisdiction. However, it is not only difficult but inherently impossible to state such principles with precision. At best and upon objective analysis of various judgments of this Court, we are able to cull out some of the principles to be considered for proper exercise of jurisdiction, particularly, with regard to quashing of charge either in exercise of jurisdiction under Section 397 or Section 482 of the Code or together, as the case may be.

27.1. Though there are no limits to the powers of the Court under Section 482 of the Code but the more the power, the more due care and caution is to be exercised in invoking these powers. The power of quashing criminal proceedings, particularly, the charge framed in terms of Section 228 of the Code, should be exercised very sparingly and with circumspection and that too in the rarest of rare cases.

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2025:HHC:26561 27.2. The Court should apply the test as to whether the uncontroverted allegations as made from the record of the case and the documents submitted therewith prima facie establish the offence or not. If the .

allegations are so patently absurd and inherently improbable that no prudent person can ever reach such a conclusion, and where the basic ingredients of a criminal offence are not satisfied, then the Court may interfere.

27.3. The High Court should not unduly interfere. No meticulous examination of the evidence is needed for considering whether the case would end in conviction or not at the stage of framing of charge or quashing of charge.

*** 27.9. Another very significant caution that the courts have to observe is that it cannot examine the facts, evidence and materials on record to determine whether there is sufficient material on the basis of which the case would end in a conviction; the court is concerned primarily with the allegations taken as a whole whether they will constitute an offence and, if so, is it an abuse of the process of court leading to injustice.

17. The revisional court cannot sit as an appellate court and start appreciating the evidence by finding out inconsistencies in the statements of witnesses, and it is not legally permissible. The High Courts ought to be ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 16 2025:HHC:26561 cognizant of the fact that the trial court was dealing with an application for discharge.

16. It was held in Kishan Rao v. Shankargouda, (2018) 8 .

SCC 165: (2018) 3 SCC (Cri) 544: (2018) 4 SCC (Civ) 37: 2018 SCC OnLine SC 651 that it is impermissible for the High Court to reappreciate the evidence and come to its conclusions in the absence of any perversity. It was observed at page 169:

"12. This Court has time and again examined the scope of Sections 397/401 CrPC and the grounds for exercising the revisional jurisdiction by the High Court. In State of Kerala v. Puttumana Illath Jathavedan Namboodiri [State of Kerala v. Puttumana Illath Jathavedan Namboodiri, (1999) 2 SCC 452: 1999 SCC (Cri) 275], while considering the scope of the revisional jurisdiction of the High Court, this Court has laid down the following: (SCC pp. 454-55, para 5) "5. ... In its revisional jurisdiction, the High Court can call for and examine the record of any proceedings to satisfy itself as to the correctness, legality or propriety of any finding, sentence or order. In other words, the jurisdiction is one of supervisory jurisdiction exercised by the High Court for correcting a miscarriage of justice. But the said revisional power cannot be equated with the power of an appellate court, nor can it be treated even as a second appellate jurisdiction.

Ordinarily, therefore, it would not be appropriate for the High Court to reappreciate the evidence and come to its conclusion on the same when the evidence has already been appreciated by the Magistrate as well as the Sessions Judge in appeal unless any glaring feature is brought to the notice of the High Court which would otherwise tantamount to a gross miscarriage of justice. On scrutinising the impugned judgment of the High Court from the aforesaid standpoint, we have no ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 17 2025:HHC:26561 hesitation in concluding that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction in interfering with the conviction of the respondent by reappreciating the oral evidence. ..."

13. Another judgment which has also been referred to and .

relied on by the High Court is the judgment of this Court in Sanjaysinh Ramrao Chavan v. Dattatray Gulabrao Phalke [Sanjaysinh Ramrao Chavan v. Dattatray Gulabrao Phalke, (2015) 3 SCC 123: (2015) 2 SCC (Cri) 19]. This Court held that the High Court, in the exercise of revisional jurisdiction, shall not interfere with the order of the Magistrate unless it is perverse or wholly unreasonable or there is non-consideration of any relevant material; the order cannot be set aside merely on the ground that another view is possible. The following has been laid down in para 14: (SCC p. 135) "14. ... Unless the order passed by the Magistrate is perverse or the view taken by the court is wholly unreasonable or there is non-consideration of any relevant material or there is palpable misreading of records, the Revisional Court is not justified in setting aside the order, merely because another view is possible. The Revisional Court is not meant to act as an appellate court. The whole purpose of the revisional jurisdiction is to preserve the power of the court to do justice in accordance with the principles of criminal jurisprudence. The revisional power of the court under Sections 397 to 401 CrPC is not to be equated with that of an appeal. Unless the finding of the court, whose decision is sought to be revised, is shown to be perverse or untenable in law or is grossly erroneous or glaringly unreasonable or where the decision is based on no material or where the material facts are wholly ignored or where the judicial discretion is exercised arbitrarily or capriciously, the courts may not interfere with the decision in exercise of their revisional jurisdiction."

14. In the above case, also the conviction of the accused was also recorded, and the High Court set aside [Dattatray ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 18 2025:HHC:26561 Gulabrao Phalke v. Sanjaysinh Ramrao Chavan, 2013 SCC OnLine Bom 1753] the order of conviction by substituting its view. This Court set aside the High Court's order .

holding that the High Court exceeded its jurisdiction in substituting its views, and that too without any legal basis.

17. This position was reiterated in Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar, (2019) 4 SCC 197: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 40: (2019) 2 SCC (Civ) 309: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 13, wherein it was observed at page 205:

"16. It is well settled that in the exercise of revisional jurisdiction under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the High Court does not, in the absence of perversity, upset concurrent factual findings. It is not for the Revisional Court to re-analyse and re-interpret the evidence on record.

17. As held by this Court in Southern Sales & Services v. Sauermilch Design and Handels GmbH [Southern Sales & Services v. Sauermilch Design and Handels GmbH, (2008) 14 SCC 457], it is a well-established principle of law that the Revisional Court will not interfere even if a wrong order is passed by a court having jurisdiction, in the absence of a jurisdictional error. The answer to the first question is, therefore, in the negative."

18. The present revision has to be decided as per the parameters laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court.

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19. The accused did not dispute her signature on the cheque. She stated in her statement recorded under Section 313 .

of Cr.P.C. that she had lost the cheque book. It was suggested to the complainant that she had kept a signed cheque for the purchase of a Scooty by her daughter, out of which one cheque was stolen by the complainant and was filled by her. Thus, the learned Courts below had rightly held that the signatures of the cheque were not disputed. It was laid down by this Court in Naresh Verma vs. Narinder Chauhan 2020(1) Shim. L.C. 398 that where the accused had not disputed his signature on the cheque, the Court has to presume that it was issued in discharge of legal liability, and the burden would shift upon the accused to rebut the presumption. It was observed: -

"8. Once signatures on the cheque are not disputed, the plea with regard to the cheque having not been issued towards discharge of lawful liability, rightly came to be rejected by the learned Courts below. Reliance is placed upon Hiten P. Dalal v. Bartender Nath Bannerji, 2001 (6) SCC 16, wherein it has been held as under:

"The words 'unless the contrary is proved' which occur in this provision make it clear that the presumption has to be rebutted by 'proof' and not by a bare explanation which is merely plausible. A fact is said to be proved when its existence is directly established or when, upon the material before it, the Court finds its existence to be so probable that a reasonable man would act on the ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 20 2025:HHC:26561 supposition that it exists. Unless, therefore, the explanation is supported by proof, the presumption created by the provision cannot be said to be rebutted......"

9. S.139 of the Act provides that it shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the holder of a cheque received the cheque of nature referred to in section 138 for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability.

20. Similar is the judgment in Basalingappa vs. Mudibasappa 2019 (5) SCC 418, wherein it was held:

"26. Applying the proposition of law as noted above, in the facts of the present case, it is clear that the signature on the cheque, having been admitted, a presumption shall be raised under Section 139 that the cheque was issued in discharge of debt or liability."

21. This position was reiterated in Kalamani Tex v. P. Balasubramanian, (2021) 5 SCC 283: (2021) 3 SCC (Civ) 25: (2021) 2 SCC (Cri) 555: 2021 SCC OnLine SC 75, wherein it was held at page

289.

"14. Once the 2nd appellant had admitted his signature on the cheque and the deed, the trial court ought to have presumed that the cheque was issued as consideration for a legally enforceable debt. The trial court fell in error when it called upon the respondent complainant to explain the circumstances under which the appellants were liable to pay. Such an approach of the trial court was directly in the teeth of the established legal position as discussed above, and amounts to a patent error of law."

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22. Similar is the judgment in APS Forex Services (P) Ltd.

v. Shakti International Fashion Linkers (2020) 12 SCC 724, wherein .

it was observed: -

"7.2. What is emerging from the material on record is that the issuance of a cheque by the accused and the signature of the accused on the said cheque are not disputed by the accused. The accused has also not disputed that there were transactions between the parties. Even as per the statement of the accused, which was recorded at the time of the framing of the charge, he has admitted that some amount was due and payable. However, it was the case on behalf of the accused that the cheque was given by way of security, and the same has been misused by the complainant. However, nothing is on record that in the reply to the statutory notice, it was the case on behalf of the accused that the cheque was given by way of security. Be that as it may, however, it is required to be noted that earlier the accused issued cheques which came to be dishonoured on the ground of "insufficient funds" and thereafter a fresh consolidated cheque of ₹9,55,574 was given which has been returned unpaid on the ground of "STOP PAYMENT". Therefore, the cheque in question was issued for the second time. Therefore, once the accused has admitted the issuance of a cheque which bears his signature, there is a presumption that there exists a legally enforceable debt or liability under Section 139 of the NI Act. However, such a presumption is rebuttable in nature, and the accused is required to lead evidence to rebut such presumption. The accused was required to lead evidence that the entire amount due and payable to the complainant was paid.

9. Coming back to the facts in the present case and considering the fact that the accused has admitted the issuance of the cheques and his signature on the cheque and that the cheque in question was issued for the second ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 22 2025:HHC:26561 time after the earlier cheques were dishonoured and that even according to the accused some amount was due and payable, there is a presumption under Section 139 of the NI Act that there exists a legally enforceable debt or .

liability. Of course, such presumption is rebuttable in nature. However, to rebut the presumption, the accused was required to lead evidence that the full amount due and payable to the complainant had been paid. In the present case, no such evidence has been led by the accused. The story put forward by the accused that the cheques were given by way of security is not believable in the absence of further evidence to rebut the presumption, and more particularly, the cheque in question was issued for the second time after the earlier cheques were dishonoured. Therefore, both the courts below have materially erred in not properly appreciating and considering the presumption in favour of the complainant that there exists a legally enforceable debt or liability as per Section 139 of the NI Act. It appears that both the learned trial court as well as the High Court have committed an error in shifting the burden upon the complainant to prove the debt or liability, without appreciating the presumption under Section 139 of the NI Act. As observed above, Section 139 of the Act is an example of reverse onus clause and therefore, once the issuance of the cheque has been admitted and even the signature on the cheque has been admitted, there is always a presumption in favour of the complainant that there exists legally enforceable debt or liability and thereafter, it is for the accused to rebut such presumption by leading evidence."

23. The presumption under Section 139 of the NI Act was explained by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Triyambak S. Hegde v.

Sripad, (2022) 1 SCC 742: (2022) 1 SCC (Civ) 512: 2021 SCC OnLine SC 788 as under at page 747:

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 23

2025:HHC:26561 "12. From the facts arising in this case and the nature of the rival contentions, the record would disclose that the signature on the documents at Exts. P-6 and P-2 are not disputed. Ext. P-2 is the dishonoured cheque based on .

which the complaint was filed. From the evidence tendered before the JMFC, it is clear that the respondent has not disputed the signature on the cheque. If that be the position, as noted by the courts below, a presumption would arise under Section 139 in favour of the appellant who was the holder of the cheque. Section 139 of the NI Act reads as hereunder:

"139. Presumption in favour of the holder. --It shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the holder of a cheque received the cheque of the nature referred to in Section 138 for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability."

13. Insofar as the payment of the amount by the appellant in the context of the cheque having been signed by the respondent, the presumption for passing of the consideration would arise as provided under Section 118(a) of the NI Act, which reads as hereunder:

"118. Presumptions as to negotiable instruments. -- Until the contrary is proved, the following presumptions shall be made:

(a) of consideration: that every negotiable instrument was made or drawn for consideration, and that every such instrument, when it has been accepted, indorsed, negotiated or transferred, was accepted, indorsed, negotiated or transferred for consideration."

14. The above-noted provisions are explicit to the effect that such presumption would remain until the contrary is proved. The learned counsel for the appellant in that regard has relied on the decision of this Court in K. Bhaskaran v. Sankaran Vaidhyan Balan [K. Bhaskaran v. Sankaran Vaidhyan Balan, (1999) 7 SCC 510:

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 24

2025:HHC:26561 1999 SCC (Cri) 1284] wherein it is held as hereunder: (SCC pp. 516-17, para 9) "9. As the signature in the cheque is admitted to be that of the accused, the presumption envisaged in .

Section 118 of the Act can legally be inferred that the cheque was made or drawn for consideration on the date which the cheque bears. Section 139 of the Act enjoins the Court to presume that the holder of the cheque received it for the discharge of any debt or liability. The burden was on the accused to rebut the aforesaid presumption. The trial court was not persuaded to rely on the interested testimony of DW 1 to rebut the presumption. The said finding was upheld [Sankaran Vaidhyan Balan v. K. Bhaskaran, Criminal Appeal No. 234 of 1995, order dated 23-10-1998 (Ker)] by the High Court. It is not r now open to the accused to contend differently on that aspect."

15. The learned counsel for the respondent has, however, referred to the decision of this Court in Basalingappa v. Mudibasappa [Basalingappa v. Mudibasa ppa, (2019) 5 SCC 418: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 571] wherein it is held as hereunder: (SCC pp. 432-33, paras 25-26) "25. We having noticed the ratio laid down by this Court in the above cases on Sections 118(a) and 139, we now summarise the principles enumerated by this Court in the following manner:

25.1. Once the execution of the cheque is admitted, Section 139 of the Act mandates a presumption that the cheque was for the discharge of any debt or other liability.

25.2. The presumption under Section 139 is a rebuttable presumption, and the onus is on the accused to raise the probable defence. The standard of proof for rebutting the presumption is that of preponderance of probabilities.

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 25

2025:HHC:26561 25.3. To rebut the presumption, it is open for the accused to rely on evidence led by him, or the accused can also rely on the materials submitted by the complainant in order to raise a probable .

defence. Inference of preponderance of probabilities can be drawn not only from the materials brought on record by the parties but also by reference to the circumstances upon which they rely.

25.4. That it is not necessary for the accused to come into the witness box in support of his defence, Section 139 imposed an evidentiary burden and not a persuasive burden.

25.5. It is not necessary for the accused to come into the witness box to support his defence.

26. Applying the preposition of law as noted above, in the facts of the present case, it is clear that the signature on the cheque, having been admitted, a presumption shall be raised under Section 139 that the cheque was issued in discharge of debt or liability. The question to be looked into is as to whether any probable defence was raised by the accused. In the cross-examination of PW 1, when the specific question was put that a cheque was issued in relation to a loan of Rs 25,000 taken by the accused, PW 1 said that he does not remember.

PW 1 in his evidence admitted that he retired in 1997, on which date he received a monetary benefit of Rs 8 lakhs, which was encashed by the complainant. It was also brought in evidence that in the year 2010, the complainant entered into a sale agreement for which he paid an amount of Rs 4,50,000 to Balana Gouda towards sale consideration. Payment of Rs 4,50,000 being admitted in the year 2010, and further payment of the loan of Rs 50,000 with regard to which Complaint No. 119 of 2012 was filed by the complainant, a copy of which complaint was also ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 26 2025:HHC:26561 filed as Ext. D-2, there was a burden on the complainant to prove his financial capacity. In the years 2010-2011, as per own case of the complainant, he made a payment of Rs 18 lakhs.

During his cross-examination, when the financial capacity to pay Rs 6 lakhs to the accused was questioned, there was no satisfactory reply given by the complainant. The evidence on record, thus, is a probable defence on behalf of the accused, which shifted the burden on the complainant to prove his financial capacity and other facts."

16. In that light, it is contended that the very materials produced by the appellant and the answers relating to lack of knowledge of property details by PW 1 in his cross- examination would indicate that the transaction is doubtful, and no evidence is tendered to indicate that the amount was paid. In such an event, it was not necessary for the respondent to tender rebuttal evidence, but the case put forth would be sufficient to indicate that the respondent has successfully rebutted the presumption.

17. On the position of law, the provisions referred to in Sections 118 and 139 of the NI Act, as also the enunciation of law as made by this Court, need no reiteration as there is no ambiguity whatsoever. In Basalingappav.

Mudibasappa [Basalingappa v. Mudibasappa, (2019) 5 SCC 418 : (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 571] relied on by the learned counsel for the respondent, though on facts the ultimate conclusion therein was against raising presumption, the facts and circumstances are entirely different as the transaction between the parties as claimed in the said case is peculiar to the facts of that case where the consideration claimed to have been paid did not find favour with the Court keeping in view the various transactions and extent of amount involved. However, the legal position relating to the presumption arising under Sections 118 and 139 of the NI Act on signature being admitted has been reiterated. Hence, whether there is a ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 27 2025:HHC:26561 rebuttal or not would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case."

24. This position was reiterated in Tedhi Singh v. Narayan .

Dass Mahant, (2022) 6 SCC 735: (2022) 2 SCC (Cri) 726: (2022) 3 SCC (Civ) 442: 2022 SCC OnLine SC 302, wherein it was held at page 739.

"8. It is true that this is a case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Section 139 of the NI Act provides that the court shall presume that the holder of a cheque received the cheque of the nature referred to in Section 138 for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability. This presumption, however, is expressly made subject to the position being proved to the contrary. In other words, it is open to the accused to establish that there is no consideration received. It is in the context of this provision that the theory of "probable defence" has grown. In an earlier judgment, in fact, which has also been adverted to in Basalingappa [Basalingappa v. Mudibasappa, (2019) 5 SCC 418: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 571], this Court notes that Section 139 of the NI Act is an example of reverse onus (see Rangappa v. Sri Mohan [Rangappa v. Sri Mohan, (2010) 11 SCC 441: (2010) 4 SCC (Civ) 477: (2011) 1 SCC (Cri) 184]). It is also true that this Court has found that the accused is not expected to discharge an unduly high standard of proof. It is accordingly that the principle has developed that all which the accused needs to establish is a probable defence. As to whether a probable defence has been established is a matter to be decided on the facts of each case on the conspectus of evidence and circumstances that exist..."

25. Similar is the judgment in P. Rasiya v. Abdul Nazer, 2022 SCC OnLine SC 1131, wherein it was observed:

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 28

2025:HHC:26561 "As per Section 139 of the N.I. Act, it shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the holder of a cheque received the cheque of the nature referred to in Section 138 for discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other .

liability. Therefore, once the initial burden is discharged by the Complainant that the cheque was issued by the accused and the signature and the issuance of the cheque are not disputed by the accused, in that case, the onus will shift upon the accused to prove the contrary that the cheque was not for any debt or other liability. The presumption under Section 139 of the N.I. Act is a statutory presumption and thereafter, once it is presumed that the cheque is issued in whole or in part of any debt or other liability which is in favour of the Complainant/holder of the cheque, in that case, it is for the accused to prove the contrary."

26. This position was reiterated in Rajesh Jain v. Ajay Singh, (2023) 10 SCC 148: 2023 SCC OnLine SC 1275, wherein it was observed at page 161:

33. The NI Act provides for two presumptions: Section 118 and Section 139. Section 118 of the Act inter alia directs that it shall be presumed until the contrary is proved that every negotiable instrument was made or drawn for consideration. Section 139 of the Act stipulates that "unless the contrary is proved, it shall be presumed that the holder of the cheque received the cheque for the discharge of, whole or part of any debt or liability". It will be seen that the "presumed fact" directly relates to one of the crucial ingredients necessary to sustain a conviction under Section 138. [The rules discussed hereinbelow are common to both the presumptions under Section 139 and Section 118 and are hence not repeated--reference to one can be taken as reference to another.]

34. Section 139 of the NI Act, which takes the form of a "shall presume" clause, is illustrative of a presumption of ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 29 2025:HHC:26561 law. Because Section 139 requires that the Court "shall presume" the fact stated therein, it is obligatory for the Court to raise this presumption in every case where the factual basis for the raising of the presumption has been .

established. But this does not preclude the person against whom the presumption is drawn from rebutting it and proving the contrary, as is clear from the use of the phrase "unless the contrary is proved".

35. The Court will necessarily presume that the cheque had been issued towards the discharge of a legally enforceable debt/liability in two circumstances. Firstly, when the drawer of the cheque admits issuance/execution of the cheque and secondly, in the event where the complainant proves that the cheque was issued/executed in his favour by the drawer. The circumstances set out above form the fact(s) which bring about the activation of the presumptive clause. [Bharat Barrel & Drum Mfg.

Co. v. Amin Chand Payrelal [Bharat Barrel & Drum Mfg. Co. v. Amin Chand Payrelal, (1999) 3 SCC 35]]

36. Recently, this Court has gone to the extent of holding that a presumption takes effect even in a situation where the accused contends that a blank cheque leaf was voluntarily signed and handed over by him to the complainant. [Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar [Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar, (2019) 4 SCC 197: (2019) 2 SCC (Civ) 309: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 40] ]. Therefore, the mere admission of the drawer's signature, without admitting the execution of the entire contents in the cheque, is now sufficient to trigger the presumption.

37. As soon as the complainant discharges the burden to prove that the instrument, say a cheque, was issued by the accused for the discharge of debt, the presumptive device under Section 139 of the Act helps shifting the burden on the accused. The effect of the presumption, in that sense, is to transfer the evidential burden on the accused of proving that the cheque was not received by the Bank towards the discharge of any liability. Until this evidential burden is discharged by the accused, the ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 30 2025:HHC:26561 presumed fact will have to be taken to be true, without expecting the complainant to do anything further.

38. John Henry Wigmore [John Henry Wigmore and the Rules of Evidence: The Hidden Origins of Modern Law] on Evidence states .

as follows:

"The peculiar effect of the presumption of law is merely to invoke a rule of law compelling the Jury to reach the conclusion in the absence of evidence to the contrary from the opponent but if the opponent does offer evidence to the contrary (sufficient to satisfy the Judge's requirement of some evidence), the presumption 'disappears as a rule of law and the case is in the Jury's hands free from any rule'."

39. The standard of proof to discharge this evidential burden is not as heavy as that usually seen in situations where the prosecution is required to prove the guilt of an accused. The accused is not expected to prove the non- existence of the presumed fact beyond a reasonable doubt. The accused must meet the standard of "preponderance of probabilities", similar to a defendant in a civil proceeding. [Rangappa v. Sri Mohan [Rangappa v. Sri Mohan, (2010) 11 SCC 441: (2010) 4 SCC (Civ) 477: (2011) 1 SCC (Cri) 184: AIR 2010 SC 1898]]

27. Therefore, the Court has to start with the presumption that the cheque was issued for valuable consideration in discharge of the legal liability, and the burden is upon the accused to rebut this presumption.

28. The accused claimed that her cheque book was stolen. She relied upon the report (Ext. DA) made by her to this effect. Section 21 of the Indian Evidence Act provides that admissions are relevant and may be proved against the person ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 31 2025:HHC:26561 who makes them or their representatives, but they cannot be proved by or on whose behalf such an admission is made. The .

complaint made by the accused to the police that her cheque book was stolen was in the nature of an admission and could not have been proved on her behalf. Therefore, the learned Courts below have rightly held that a complaint made to the police will not help the accused.

29. The accused did not step into the witness box to establish the plea taken by her that the cheque book bearing Sl.

Nos 149091 to 149100 was stolen. She relied upon the statement made by her under Section 313 Cr.P.C. to establish this fact. It was held in Sumeti Vij v. Paramount Tech Fab Industries, (2022) 15 SCC 689: 2021 SCC OnLine SC 201 that the accused has to lead defence evidence to rebut the presumption and mere denial in his statement under section 313 is not sufficient to rebut the presumption. It was observed at page 700:

"20. That apart, when the complainant exhibited all these documents in support of his complaints and recorded the statement of three witnesses in support thereof, the appellant recorded her statement under Section 313 of the Code but failed to record evidence to disprove or rebut the presumption in support of her defence available under Section 139 of the Act. The statement of the accused recorded under Section 313 of the Code is not substantive ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 32 2025:HHC:26561 evidence of defence, but only an opportunity for the accused to explain the incriminating circumstances appearing in the prosecution's case against the accused. Therefore, there is no evidence to rebut the presumption that the cheques were .

issued for consideration." (Emphasis supplied)"

30. Therefore, no advantage can be derived from the statement made by the accused in her statement recorded under Section 313 of Cr.P.C.

31. Learned Courts below had rightly pointed out that the defence taken by the accused was contradictory.

suggested to the complainant that the accused had kept security cheques in her home, out of which one was stolen by the It was complainant, whereas it was mentioned in the complaint (Ext.DA) that the whole cheque book was stolen. The justification given by the accused for keeping the signed chequebook at home, because her daughter had to purchase a Scooty, is hardly any explanation, because if the Scooty was to be purchased, the cheque would have been issued for a definite amount. The accused also did not examine her daughter to corroborate this version, and the learned Courts below had rightly rejected this version.

32. It is not shown that any action was taken by the accused regarding the loss of the cheque book. She did not ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 33 2025:HHC:26561 inform her bank about the loss of the chequebook. It was laid down by this Court in Devi Singh (supra) that when the loss was .

not reported to the bank and no action was taken against the holder for presenting the cheque, the plea taken by the accused that she had misplaced the cheque was not acceptable.

33. A heavy reliance was placed upon the fact that the handwriting expert concluded that the body of the cheque was not in the handwriting of the accused. The Learned Courts below had rightly pointed out that this will not make any difference. It was laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Bir Singh v.

Mukesh Kumar, (2019) 4 SCC 197: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 40: (2019) 2 SCC (Civ) 309: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 138, that a person is liable for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act even if the cheque is filled by some other person. It was observed:

"33. A meaningful reading of the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act including, in particular, Sections 20, 87 and 139, makes it amply clear that a person who signs a cheque and makes it over to the payee remains liable unless he adduces evidence to rebut the presumption that the cheque had been issued for payment of a debt or in discharge of a liability. It is immaterial that the cheque may have been filled in by any person other than the drawer if the cheque is duly signed by the drawer. If the cheque is otherwise valid, the penal ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 34 2025:HHC:26561 provisions of Section 138 would be attracted.

34. If a signed blank cheque is voluntarily presented to a payee, towards some payment, the payee may fill up the amount and other particulars. This in itself would not .

invalidate the cheque. The onus would still be on the accused to prove that the cheque was not in discharge of a debt or liability by adducing evidence.

35. It is not the case that the respondent accused him of either signing the cheque or parting with it under any threat or coercion. Nor is it the case that the respondent accused that the unfilled signed cheque had been stolen. The existence of a fiduciary relationship between the payee of a cheque and its drawer would not disentitle the payee to the benefit of the presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, in the absence of evidence of exercise of undue influence or coercion. The second question is also answered in the negative.

36. Even a blank cheque leaf, voluntarily signed and handed over by the accused, which is towards some payment, would attract presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, in the absence of any cogent evidence to show that the cheque was not issued in discharge of a debt."

34. This position was reiterated in Oriental Bank of Commerce v. Prabodh Kumar Tewari, 2022 SCC OnLine SC 1089, wherein it was observed:

"12. The submission, which has been urged on behalf of the appellant, is that even assuming, as the first respondent submits, that the details in the cheque were not filled in by the drawer, this would not make any difference to the liability of the drawer.

xxxxxx

32. A drawer who signs a cheque and hands it over to the payee is presumed to be liable unless the drawer ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 35 2025:HHC:26561 adduces evidence to rebut the presumption that the cheque has been issued towards payment of a debt or in the discharge of a liability. The presumption arises under Section 139.

.

35. Therefore, no advantage can be derived from the fact that the cheque was not in the handwriting of the accused.

36. It was submitted that there are various contradictions in the statement of the complainant; however, no such contradiction was pointed out. Moreover, the accused has admitted her signatures on the cheque, and the burden is upon her to displace the presumption. Any contradiction in the statement of the complainant not related to the consideration will not help in the displacement of the presumption.

37. The complainant stated in her cross-examination that she had taken money from her mother. It was submitted based upon this admission that the complainant's mother was not examined to corroborate her version. This submission will not help the accused. It was laid down by Hon'ble Surpeme Court in Uttam Ram v. Devinder Singh Hudan, (2019) 10 SCC 287: (2020) 1 SCC (Cri) 154: (2020) 1 SCC (Civ) 126: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 1361, that the complainant is not supposed to prove the existence of ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 36 2025:HHC:26561 consideration because of the presumption contained in Section 139 of the NI Act. It was observed:

.

"19. A negotiable instrument, including a cheque, carries a presumption of consideration in terms of Section 118(a) and under Section 139 of the Act. Sections 118(a) and 139 read as under:

"118. Presumptions as to negotiable instruments. --Until the contrary is proved, the following presumptions shall be made:

(a) of consideration: that every negotiable instrument was made or drawn for consideration, and that every such instrument, when it has been accepted, indorsed, negotiated or transferred, was accepted, indorsed, negotiated or transferred for consideration;

***

139. Presumption in favour of the holder. --It shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the holder of a cheque received the cheque, of the nature referred to in Section 138, for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability."

20. The trial court and the High Court proceeded as if the appellant is to prove a debt before the civil court, wherein the plaintiff is required to prove his claim on the basis of evidence to be laid in support of his claim for the recovery of the amount due. A dishonour of a cheque carries a statutory presumption of consideration. The holder of the cheque in due course is required to prove that the cheque was issued by the accused and that when the same presented, it was not honoured. Since there is a statutory presumption of consideration, the burden is on the accused to rebut the presumption that the cheque was issued not for any debt or other liability.

21. There is the mandate of presumption of consideration in terms of the provisions of the Act. The onus shifts to ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 37 2025:HHC:26561 the accused on proof of issuance of cheque to rebut the presumption that the cheque was issued not for discharge of any debt or liability in terms of Section 138 of the Act, which reads as under:

.

"138. Dishonour of cheque for insufficiency, etc. of funds in the account.--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, ..."

22. In Kumar Exports [Kumar Exports v. Sharma Carpets, (2009) 2 SCC 513: (2009) 1 SCC (Civ) 629: (2009) 1 SCC (Cri) 823], it was held that mere denial of the existence of debt will not serve any purpose but the accused may adduce evidence to rebut the presumption. This Court held as under: (SCC pp. 520-21, para 20) "20. The accused in a trial under Section 138 of the Act has two options. He can either show that consideration and debt did not exist or that, under the particular circumstances of the case, the non-existence of consideration and debt is so probable that a prudent man ought to suppose that no consideration and debt existed. To rebut the statutory presumptions, an accused is not expected to prove his defence beyond a reasonable doubt, as is expected of the complainant in a criminal trial. The accused may adduce direct evidence to prove that the note in question was not supported by consideration and that there was no debt or liability to be discharged by him. However, the court need not insist in every case that the accused should disprove the non-existence of consideration and debt by leading direct evidence because the existence of ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 38 2025:HHC:26561 negative evidence is neither possible nor contemplated. At the same time, it is clear that bare denial of the passing of the consideration and existence of debt, apparently, would not serve the purpose of the .

accused. Something which is probable has to be brought on record for getting the burden of proof shifted to the complainant. To disprove the presumptions, the accused should bring on record such facts and circumstances, upon consideration of which, the court may either believe that the consideration and debt did not exist or their non- existence was so probable that a prudent man would, under the circumstances of the case, act upon the plea that they did not exist. Apart from adducing direct evidence to prove that the note in question was not supported by consideration or that he had not incurred any debt or liability, the accused may also rely upon circumstantial evidence, and if the circumstances so relied upon are compelling, the burden may likewise shift again onto the complainant. The accused may also rely upon presumptions of fact, for instance, those mentioned in Section 114 of the Evidence Act to rebut the presumptions arising under Sections 118 and 139 of the Act."

(emphasis supplied)

23. In the judgment Kishan Rao v. Shankargouda [Kishan Rao v. Shankargouda, (2018) 8 SCC 165 : (2018) 4 SCC (Civ) 37 : (2018) 3 SCC (Cri) 544], this Court referring to Kumar Exports [Kumar Exports v. Sharma Carpets, (2009) 2 SCC 513 : (2009) 1 SCC (Civ) 629 : (2009) 1 SCC (Cri) 823] and Rangappa [Rangappa v. Sri Mohan, (2010) 11 SCC 441 :

(2010) 4 SCC (Civ) 477 : (2011) 1 SCC (Cri) 184] returned the following findings : (Kishan Rao case [Kishan Rao v. Shankargouda, (2018) 8 SCC 165 : (2018) 4 SCC (Civ) 37 : (2018) 3 SCC (Cri) 544], SCC pp. 173-74, para 22) "22. Another judgment which needs to be looked into is Rangappa v. Sri Mohan [Rangappa v. Sri Mohan, (2010) 11 SCC 441: (2010) 4 SCC (Civ) 477: (2011) 1 SCC (Cri) 184]. A three-judge Bench of this Court had ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 39 2025:HHC:26561 occasion to examine the presumption under Section 139 of the 1881 Act. This Court in the aforesaid case has held that in the event the accused is able to raise a probable defence which creates doubt with regard to .

the existence of a debt or liability, the presumption may fail. The following was laid down in paras 26 and 27: (SCC pp. 453-54) '26. In light of these extracts, we are in agreement with the respondent claimant that the presumption mandated by Section 139 of the Act does indeed include the existence of a legally enforceable debt or liability. To that extent, the impugned observations in Krishna Janardhan Bhat [Krishna Janardhan Bhat v. Dattatraya G. Hegde, (2008) 4 SCC 54: (2008) 2 SCC (Cri) 166] may not be correct. However, this does not in any way cast doubt on the correctness of the decision in that case since it was based on the specific facts and circumstances therein. As noted in the citations, this is, of course, in the nature of a rebuttable presumption, and it is open to the accused to raise a defence wherein the existence of a legally enforceable debt or liability can be contested. However, there can be no doubt that there is an initial presumption which favours the complainant.

27. Section 139 of the Act is an example of a reverse onus clause that has been included in furtherance of the legislative objective of improving the credibility of negotiable instruments. While Section 138 of the Act specifies a strong criminal remedy in relation to the dishonour of cheques, the rebuttable presumption under Section 139 is a device to prevent undue delay in the course of litigation. However, it must be remembered that the offence made punishable by Section 138 can be better described as a regulatory offence since the bouncing of a cheque is largely in the nature of a civil wrong whose impact is usually confined to the ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 40 2025:HHC:26561 private parties involved in commercial transactions. In such a scenario, the test of proportionality should guide the construction and interpretation of reverse onus clauses and the defendant-accused .

cannot be expected to discharge an unduly high standard of proof."

24. In the judgment Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar [Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar, (2019) 4 SCC 197: (2019) 2 SCC (Civ) 309: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 40], this Court held that the presumption under Section 139 of the Act is a presumption of law. The Court held as under: (SCC pp. 206 & 208-09, paras 20, 33 & 36) "20. Section 139 introduces an exception to the general rule as to the burden of proof and shifts the onus on the accused. The presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is a presumption of law, as distinguished from a presumption of facts.

Presumptions are rules of evidence and do not conflict with the presumption of innocence, which requires the prosecution to prove the case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The obligation on the prosecution may be discharged with the help of presumptions of law and presumptions of fact unless the accused adduces evidence showing the reasonable possibility of the non-existence of the presumed fact, as held in Hiten P. Dalal [Hiten P. Dalal v. Bratindranath Banerjee, (2001) 6 SCC 16: 2001 SCC (Cri) 960].

***

33. A meaningful reading of the provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act including, in particular, Sections 20, 87 and 139, makes it amply clear that a person who signs a cheque and makes it over to the payee remains liable unless he adduces evidence to rebut the presumption that the cheque had been issued for payment of a debt or in discharge of a liability. It is immaterial that the cheque may have been filled in by any person other than the drawer if the cheque is duly ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 41 2025:HHC:26561 signed by the drawer. If the cheque is otherwise valid, the penal provisions of Section 138 would be attracted.

*** .

36. Even a blank cheque leaf, voluntarily signed and handed over by the accused, which is towards some payment, would attract presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, in the absence of any cogent evidence to show that the cheque was not issued in discharge of a debt."

25. In other judgment Rohitbhai Jivanlal Patel v. State of Gujarat [Rohitbhai Jivanlal Patel v. State of Gujarat, (2019) 18 SCC 106: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 389: AIR 2019 SC 1876] this Court held as under: (SCC paras 15, 17 and 22) "15. So far the question of the existence of basic ingredients for drawing of presumption under r Sections 118 and 139 of the NI Act is concerned, apparent it is that the appellant-accused could not deny his signature on the cheques in question that had been drawn in favour of the complainant on a bank account maintained by the accused for a sum of Rs 3 lakhs each. The said cheques were presented to the bank concerned within the period of their validity and were returned unpaid for the reason of either the balance being insufficient or the account being closed. All the basic ingredients of Section 138, as also of Sections 118 and 139, are apparent on the face of the record. The trial court had also consciously taken note of these facts and had drawn the requisite presumption. Therefore, it is required to be presumed that the cheques in question were drawn for consideration and the holder of the cheques, i.e. the complainant, received the same in discharge of an existing debt. The onus, therefore, shifts on the appellant-accused to establish a probable defence so as to rebut such a presumption.

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17. On the aspects relating to a preponderance of probabilities, the accused has to bring on record such facts and such circumstances which may lead the Court to conclude either that the consideration did not exist .

or that its non-existence was so probable that a prudent man would, under the circumstances of the case, act upon the plea that the consideration did not exist. This Court has, time and again, emphasised that though there may not be sufficient negative evidence which could be brought on record by the accused to discharge his burden, yet mere denial would not fulfil the requirements of rebuttal as envisaged under Sections 118 and 139 of the NI Act....

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22. The result of the discussion in the foregoing paragraphs is that the major considerations on which the trial court chose to proceed clearly show its fundamental error of approach, where, even after drawing the presumption, it had proceeded as if the complainant was to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt. Such being the fundamental flaw on the part of the trial court, the High Court [Shashi Mohan Goyanka v. State of Gujarat, 2018 SCC OnLine Guj 3674] cannot be said to have acted illegally or having exceeded its jurisdiction in reversing the judgment of acquittal. As noticed hereinabove, in the present matter, the High Court has conscientiously and carefully taken into consideration the views of the trial court and, after examining the evidence on the record as a whole, found that the findings of the trial court are vitiated by perversity. Hence, interference by the High Court was inevitable; rather had to be made for a just and proper decision of the matter."

"20. The Trial Court and the High Court proceeded as if the appellant were to prove a debt before a civil court, wherein the plaintiff is required to prove his claim on the basis of evidence to be laid in support of his claim for the recovery of the amount due. Dishonour of a cheque ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 43 2025:HHC:26561 carries a statutory presumption of consideration. The holder of the cheque in due course is required to prove that the cheque was issued by the accused and that when the same was presented, it was not honoured. Since there .

is a statutory presumption of consideration, the burden is on the accused to rebut the presumption that the cheque was issued not for any debt or other liability."

39. A similar view was taken in Rohitbhai Jivanlal Patel v.

State of Gujarat (2019) 18 SCC 106, and it was held that once a presumption has been drawn, the onus shifts to the accused. It was observed: -

12. According to the learned counsel for the appellant-

accused, the impugned judgment is contrary to the principles laid down by this Court in Arulvelu [Arulvelum v. State, (2009) 10 SCC 206 : (2010) 1 SCC (Cri) 288] because the High Court has set aside the judgment of the trial court without pointing out any perversity therein. The said case of Arulvelu [Arulvelum v. State, (2009) 10 SCC 206 : (2010) 1 SCC (Cri) 288] related to the offences under Sections 304-B and 498-A IPC. Therein, on the scope of the powers of the appellate court in an appeal against acquittal, this Court observed as follows : (SCC p. 221, para 36) "36. Careful scrutiny of all these judgments leads to the definite conclusion that the appellate court should be very slow in setting aside a judgment of acquittal, particularly in a case where two views are possible. The trial court judgment cannot be set aside because the appellate court's view is more probable. The appellate court would not be justified in setting aside the trial court judgment unless it arrives at a clear finding on marshalling the entire evidence on record that the judgment of the trial court is either perverse or wholly unsustainable in law."

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 44

2025:HHC:26561 The principles aforesaid are not of much debate. In other words, ordinarily, the appellate court will not be upsetting the judgment of acquittal, if the view taken by the trial court is one of the possible views of the matter .

and unless the appellate court arrives at a clear finding that the judgment of the trial court is perverse i.e. not supported by evidence on record or contrary to what is regarded as normal or reasonable; or is wholly unsustainable in law. Such general restrictions are essential to remind the appellate court that an accused is presumed to be innocent unless proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and a judgment of acquittal further strengthens such presumption in favour of the accused. However, such restrictions need to be visualised in the context of the particular matter before the appellate court and the nature of the inquiry therein. The same rule with the same rigour cannot be applied in a matter relating to the offence under Section 138 of the NI Act, particularly where a presumption is drawn that the holder has received the cheque for the discharge, wholly or in part, of any debt or liability. Of course, the accused is entitled to bring on record the relevant material to rebut such presumption and to show that preponderance of probabilities are in favour of his defence but while examining if the accused has brought about a probable defence so as to rebut the presumption, the appellate court is certainly entitled to examine the evidence on record in order to find if preponderance indeed leans in favour of the accused.

13. For determination of the point as to whether the High Court was justified in reversing the judgment and orders of the trial court and convicting the appellant for the offence under Section 138 of the NI Act, the basic questions to be addressed are twofold: as to whether the complainant Respondent 2 had established the ingredients of Sections 118 and 139 of the NI Act, so as to justify drawing of the presumption envisaged therein; and if so, as to whether the appellant-accused had been ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 45 2025:HHC:26561 able to displace such presumption and to establish a probable defence whereby, the onus would again shift to the complainant?

40. This position was reiterated in Ashok Singh v. State of .

U.P., 2025 SCC OnLine SC 706, wherein it was observed:

22. The High Court while allowing the criminal revision has primarily proceeded on the presumption that it was obligatory on the part of the complainant to establish his case on the basis of evidence by giving the details of the bank account as well as the date and time of the withdrawal of the said amount which was given to the accused and also the date and time of the payment made to the accused, including the date and time of receiving of the cheque, which has not been done in the present case.

Pausing here, such presumption on the complainant, by the High Court, appears to be erroneous. The onus is not on the complainant at the threshold to prove his capacity/financial wherewithal to make the payment in discharge of which the cheque is alleged to have been issued in his favour. Only if an objection is raised that the complainant was not in a financial position to pay the amount so claimed by him to have been given as a loan to the accused, only then the complainant would have to bring before the Court cogent material to indicate that he had the financial capacity and had actually advanced the amount in question by way of loan. In the case at hand, the appellant had categorically stated in his deposition and reiterated in the cross-examination that he had withdrawn the amount from the bank in Faizabad (Typed Copy of his deposition in the paperbook wrongly mentions this as 'Firozabad'). The Court ought not to have summarily rejected such a stand, more so when respondent no. 2 did not make any serious attempt to dispel/negate such a stand/statement of the appellant. Thus, on the one hand, the statement made before the Court, both in examination-in-chief and cross-

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 46

2025:HHC:26561 examination, by the appellant with regard to withdrawing the money from the bank for giving it to the accused has been disbelieved, whereas the argument on behalf of the accused that he had not received any payment of any loan .

amount has been accepted. In our decision in S. S. Production v. Tr. Pavithran Prasanth, 2024 INSC 1059, we opined:

'8. From the order impugned, it is clear that though the contention of the petitioners was that the said amounts were given for producing a film and were not by way of return of any loan taken, which may have been a probable defence for the petitioners in the case, but rightly, the High Court has taken the view that evidence had to be adduced on this point which has not been done by the petitioners. Pausing here, the Court would only comment that the reasoning of the High Court, as well as the First Appellate Court and Trial Court, on this issue is sound. Just by taking a counter-stand to raise a probable defence would not shift the onus on the complainant in such a case, for the plea of defence has to be buttressed by evidence, either oral or documentary, which in the present case has not been done. Moreover, even if it is presumed that the complainant had not proved the source of the money given to the petitioners by way of loan by producing statement of accounts and/or Income Tax Returns, the same ipso facto, would not negate such claim for the reason that the cheques having being issued and signed by the petitioners has not been denied, and no evidence has been led to show that the respondent lacked capacity to provide the amount(s) in question. In this regard, we may make profitable reference to the decision in Tedhi Singh v. Narayan Dass Mahant, (2022) 6 SCC 735:

'10. The trial court and the first appellate court have noted that in the case under Section 138 of the NI Act, the complainant need not show in the first instance that he had the capacity. The proceedings under Section 138 of the NI Act is not a civil suit. At the time, when the complainant gives his evidence, unless ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 47 2025:HHC:26561 a case is set up in the reply notice to the statutory notice sent, that the complainant did not have the wherewithal, it cannot be expected of the complainant to initially lead evidence to show that he had the .

financial capacity. To that extent, the courts in our view were right in holding on those lines. However, the accused has the right to demonstrate that the complainant in a particular case did not have the capacity and therefore, the case of the accused is acceptable, which he can do by producing independent materials, namely, by examining his witnesses and producing documents. It is also open to him to establish the very same aspect by pointing to the materials produced by the complainant himself. He can further, more importantly, further achieve this result through the cross-examination of the witnesses rof the complainant. Ultimately, it becomes the duty of the courts to consider carefully and appreciate the totality of the evidence and then come to a conclusion whether, in the given case, the accused has shown that the case of the complainant is in peril for the reason that the accused has established a probable defence.' (emphasis supplied)' (underlining in original; emphasis supplied by us in bold)

41. Therefore, the complainant's version could not have been rejected because she had not examined her mother.

42. The accused stated in her statement recorded under Section 313 of Cr.P.C. that the complainant used to make complaints against her colleagues and she used to ask her not to do so; therefore, the present complaint was filed. This is hardly any explanation. A person would not file a complaint of ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 48 2025:HHC:26561 dishonour of a cheque because she was asked not to file a complaint against her colleagues. No complaint made by the .

complainant against her colleagues was brought on record;

therefore, the defence taken by the accused was also not proved.

43. Thus, the learned Courts below had rightly held that the accused had failed to rebut the presumption attached to the cheque.

44. The complainant stated that the dishonoured with an endorsement 'insufficient funds'. The r cheque was cheque returning memo (Ext. CW-1/D) also shows the reason for dishonour of the cheque as 'insufficient funds'. It was laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Mandvi Cooperative Bank Ltd. v.

Nimesh B. Thakore, (2010) 3 SCC 83: (2010) 1 SCC (Civ) 625: (2010) 2 SCC (Cri) 1: 2010 SCC OnLine SC 155 that the memo issued by the Bank is presumed to be correct and the burden is upon the accused to rebut the presumption. It was observed at page 95:

24. Section 146, making a major departure from the principles of the Evidence Act, provides that the bank's slip or memo with the official mark showing that the cheque was dishonoured would, by itself, give rise to the presumption of dishonour of the cheque, unless and until that fact was disproved. Section 147 makes the offences punishable under the Act compoundable.

::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 49

2025:HHC:26561

45. In the present case, no evidence was produced to rebut the presumption, and the learned Courts below had rightly .

held that the cheque was dishonoured with an endorsement 'insufficient funds'.

46. The complainant stated that she sent a notice to the accused. The accused admitted in her statement recorded under Section 313 of Cr.P.C. that notice was received by her. She also stated that she had sent a reply to the notice; therefore, issuance and service of notice were not disputed. The accused also stated that she was not liable to pay any amount to the complainant;

therefore, she has admitted that the amount was not paid by her despite the receipt of a valid notice of demand. Therefore, all the ingredients of the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act were duly satisfied, and the learned Trial Court had rightly convicted the accused for the commission of an offence punishable under Section 138 of the NI Act.

47. Learned Trial Court sentenced the accused to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of 9 months It was laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Bir Singh v. Mukesh Kumar, (2019) 4 SCC 197: (2019) 2 SCC (Cri) 40: (2019) 2 SCC (Civ) ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 50 2025:HHC:26561 309: 2019 SCC OnLine SC 138 that the penal provisions of Section 138 of N.I.Act is deterrent in nature. It was observed at page 203:

.

"6. The object of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is to infuse credibility into negotiable instruments, including cheques, and to encourage and promote the use of negotiable instruments, including cheques, in financial transactions. The penal provision of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is intended to be a deterrent to callous issuance of negotiable instruments such as cheques without serious intention to honour the promise implicit in the issuance of the same."

48. Keeping in view the deterrent nature of the sentence to be awarded, the sentence of nine months' imprisonment cannot be said to be excessive, and no interference is required with it.

49. The cheque of ₹1,50,000/- was issued on 30.11.2016 The sentence was imposed on 31.03.2021 after the lapse of about four years. Learned Trial Court awarded a fine of ₹2,25,000/-, which means that the complainant was awarded ₹75,000/- on the cheque amount of ₹1,50,000/-. The complainant lost interest in the amount, and she had to pay the litigation expenses for filing the complaint. She was entitled to be compensated for the same. It was laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Kalamani Tex v. P. Balasubramanian, (2021) 5 SCC 283: (2021) 3 SCC (Civ) 25: (2021) 2 SCC (Cri) 555: 2021 SCC ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS 51 2025:HHC:26561 OnLine SC 75 that the Courts should uniformly levy a fine up to twice the cheque amount along with simple interest at the rate .

of 9% per annum. It was observed at page 291: -

19. As regards the claim of compensation raised on behalf of the respondent, we are conscious of the settled principles that the object of Chapter XVII of NIA is not only punitive but also compensatory and restitutive. The provisions of NIA envision a single window for criminal liability for the dishonour of a cheque as well as civil liability for the realisation of the cheque amount. It is also well settled that there needs to be a consistent approach towards awarding compensation, and unless there exist special circumstances, the courts should uniformly levy fines up to twice the cheque amount along with simple interest @ 9% p.a. [R. Vijayan v. Baby, (2012) 1 SCC 260, para 20: (2012) 1 SCC (Civ) 79: (2012) 1 SCC (Cri) 520]"

50. Therefore, the compensation of ₹75,000/ on the principal amount of ₹1,50,000/- is not excessive.

51. No other point was urged.

52. In view of the above, the present revision fails and the same is dismissed, so also the pending miscellaneous application(s), if any.

53. Records of the learned Courts below be sent back forthwith, along with a copy of this judgment.

Rakesh Kainthla) Judge 07th August, 2025 (ravinder) ::: Downloaded on - 07/08/2025 21:29:16 :::CIS

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Reserved On: 28.07.2025 vs Kamla Devi on 7 August, 2025