Representative image of a cheque.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: A special court for cases involving MP/MLAs has convicted former minister Goolihatti D Shekar in a cheque bounce case and directed him to pay Rs 16 lakh to the complainant.
The complainant in the case is N A Prabhakar, a resident of Bengaluru. The court said that if the amount is not paid within December 28, 2024, as per the joint memo submitted to the court, Shekar will have to undergo simple imprisonment for a period of six months.
According to the complaint, Shekar, proprietor of Om Shakthi Exports, Papareddy Palya, Bengaluru, requested him to grant a hand loan of Rs 20 lakh to meet his urgent business commitments.
Shekar had agreed to repay the loan within six months along with interest at the rate of two per cent per month. Neither the hand loan of Rs 20 lakh was paid in cash on September 25, 2021, nor any interest was paid within the agreed period.
The complainant further stated that a postdated April 6, 2023, was issued for Rs 20 lakh, drawn on Canara Bank, Nagarabhavi 2nd Stage Branch, Bengaluru.
The complainant issued a 15-day notice after the cheque was dishonored with a memo stating that the "account closed".
He then moved the special court with a private complaint under section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act for recovering his money.
During the pendency of proceedings, both of them filed a joint memo in which Shekar undertook to pay Rs 16 lakhs by December 28, 2024, in terms of the settlement arrived to between them.