Ram Gopal Varma faces Non-Bailable Warrant in Cheque Bounce Case

Following his conviction, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma appealed to the sessions court, requesting a suspension of his jail sentence.

A sessions court has issued a non-bailable warrant against filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma after rejecting his request to suspend his jail sentence in a cheque bounce case.

Previously, on January 21, Andheri’s Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Y P Pujari, found Varma guilty under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The court sentenced him to three months in jail and ordered him to pay Rs 3,72,219 to the complainant within three months.

Following his conviction, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma appealed to the sessions court, requesting a suspension of his jail sentence. However, on March 4, Additional Sessions Judge A A Kulkarni dismissed his plea and issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him. The warrant was issued due to Varma’s failure to appear before the court. His request for suspension of the jail term was also denied. The case has now been adjourned to July 28 for the execution of the warrant.

The judge clarified that Varma is free to apply for bail, but only after presenting himself before the court. The case against him stems from a cheque bounce complaint filed in 2018 by a company against his firm. Advocate Rajesh Kumar Patel, representing the complainant’s company, had submitted an affidavit before the magistrate, stating that the company had been engaged in the business of providing hard disks for several years.

According to the affidavit, the complainant's company supplied hard disks to the accused between February and March 2018, as per his request. In return, multiple tax invoices were raised, totaling Rs 2,38,220. To settle the payment, the accused issued a cheque on June 1, 2018. However, the cheque was later dishonored due to insufficient funds.

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When Varma’s firm was informed about the cheque bounce, a second cheque for the same amount was issued. However, this too was dishonored, this time with the reason cited as "payment stopped by drawer." With no other recourse, the complainant pursued legal action, as stated in the affidavit.

Ram Gopal Varma is widely recognized for his films, including Satya, Rangeela, Company, and Sarkar, among others.

(With inputs from PTI)