BOLLYWOOD director Ram Gopal Varma has been given a three months prison term by a Mumbai court after being held liable in connection with a cheque bouncing case. A decision was expected to be delivered by the court on Tuesday, but because the director had not shown up at the hearings, a magistrate issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him there.
Varma was held guilty under the Negotiable Instruments Act, which punishes cheque bouncing due to inadequate funds in the account or an overdraft exceeding the cheque amount. Apart from the imprisonment, the court has directed Varma to pay compensation of Rs 3.72 lakh to the complainant Shree firm represented by Maheshchandra Mishra. In case he fails to make the payment within three months, Varma will undergo three more months of imprisonment.
The case is dated back to 2018 when the cheque was issued by Varma’s company. He had sold his office during the crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and his financial conditions were badly hit. Still, he was bailed out in June 2022 after presenting a personal recognizance bond and depositing a cash security of Rs 5,000.
Magistrate YP Pujari clarified that Varma would not be eligible for any sentence reduction under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure as he had not undergone trial in custody. A detailed judgment, with other observations, is likely to be released soon.
