Rajkumar Santoshi reacts to Court sentencing in cheque return case

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi finds himself in a pickle as he has been found guilty in two separate cases totalling to Rs 22.5 lakhs and has been sentenced to one year. The court also ordered the complainant to pay the cheque amount within two months. And if he fails to do so, he will be sentenced to one more year.

For the uninitiated, Santoshi had borrowed a large amount of money for the development of his business due to his relationship with complainant Anil Jethani. In this regard, 3 separate cheques were given to the complainant Anil Jethani for a total sum of Rs. 22.50 lakhs. However, All 3 cheques dishonoured upon presentation with an endorsement of “insufficient fund”. Complainant gave a legal notice to Rajkumar Santoshi through his lawyer. Although no reply was received, resultantly 2 separate criminal complaints of Rs 17.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh were lodged against Santoshi in a Rajkot court under sec.138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

Reacting to the situation, Santoshi said, "I am paying the price of being a celebrity. We are easy targets. I have faith in the judiciary and we are filing an appeal in the Courts ahead. We will get justice."

The two cases were heard in the court of Rajkot Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate N.H.Vasveliya. In which the defendant had taken a contradictory defense in court that the plaintiff had misused my blank cheques and I had paid the amounts, and no financial transaction was pending. Court also summoned Bank officials for evidence, their evidence supported the facts of the complainant. It was further argued by the complainant that the cheques issued earlier by the accused were also returned, later same cheques were exchanged with new cheques.

In addition, the complainant legislator presented the judgments of the High Court-Supreme Court in this matter. In view of this Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate N. H. Vasavelia has sentenced Bollywood filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi to one-year imprisonment in each case under the Negotiable Instruments Act and ordered him to pay a cheque amount to the complainant within 60 days as compensation and failing which punishment of imprisonment to be extended with one more year. Order was passed by Rajkot Court on 31 march 2022.