Ameesha Patel surrenders before court in 2018 cheque bounce case

Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel on Saturday surrendered before the Ranchi Civil Court in connection with a cheque bounce case.

Senior division judge D N Shukla granted her bail and asked her to appear before the court personally again on June 21.

The case dates back to 2018 when Jharkhand-based film producer Ajay Kumar Singh had registered a case of fraud and cheque bounce against the actress.

“Earlier, the court had issued her summons many times in the case but she did not appear. Later, the court issued a warrant against her,” said the complainant’s advocate Vijaya Lakshmi Srivastava.

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According to the complaint, Singh had transferred Rs 2.5 crore to the actor's bank account for the production of a movie titled "Desi Magic". Patel, however, did not proceed with the film later. She sent a cheque of Rs 2.50 crore but it had bounced.

The Supreme Court in August 2022 stayed criminal proceedings for the offence of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Patel in connection with summons issued by the trial court in Jharkhand.

The top court had, however, said proceedings for offences punishable under Section 138 (cheque bounce) of the Negotiable Instruments Act can continue in accordance with the law.

The Supreme Court's order came on an appeal filed by Patel against the May 5, 2022 order of the Jharkhand High Court which dismissed the plea seeking quashing and setting aside of the order by the trial court in Ranchi, in connection with a complaint against her.