Chandigarh, April 18
Chandigarh Judicial Magistrate (First Class) has convicted Samrala based businessman Amarjeet Singh Dhillon in a ₹43 lakh cheque bounce case, ordering him to compensate the complainant and warning of further jail time if he fails to pay.
The court directed Dhillon to pay ₹43,00,000 to Rahul Sharma, along with 6% annual interest from the date of the cheque. The payment must be made within one month after the appeal period ends or after any appeal is decided, the court said.
The court further said that if the amount is not paid within the stipulated time, he will face an additional two months of simple imprisonment. In its ruling, the magistrate emphasised that the cheque had been issued to clear an acknowledged financial liability, which was a key factor in determining the compensation.
The case was filed by M/s Color Advertisers, a firm based in Mohali through its proprietor Rahul Sharma, against M/s Light Air Transmission Private Limited and its director Amarjeet Singh Dhillon.
According to court findings, the dispute arose from a series of investments made by the complainant between 2017 and 2018, totalling ₹53 lakh. When the amount was not returned, both sides entered into a settlement in April 2021, where the accused agreed to repay ₹50 lakh within a fixed timeframe.
The court noted that ₹7 lakh was repaid, leaving ₹43 lakh outstanding. To settle this, Amarjeet Singh Dhillon issued several cheques, both in his capacity as a company director and personally. However, these cheques were repeatedly dishonoured before the final cheque also failed due to insufficient funds.
The court observed that the sequence of transactions—from investment agreements to settlement and issuance of cheques—clearly demonstrated that the payments were meant to discharge a legally enforceable debt.
