Cheque bounce: BJP leader, two others fined Rs.12 crore

A Delhi court has ordered a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two others to pay over Rs.12 crore as compensation to the complainant in a cheque bounce case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Beniwal sentenced BJP leader Ishwar Rohal, Jogesh Chand Jerath and Anu Jerath -- all directors in Shubh Marketing Pvt Ltd -- to one-year jail terms and ordered that a fine of over Rs.12 crore be paid as compensation to complainant Ravi Sharma.

Ravi alleged he gave a friendly loan of Rs.4.9 crore in January 2010 to Shubh Marketing Pvt Ltd of Jogesh, Anu and Ishwar.

The accused, dealing in real estate business, issued two cheques of Rs.5.74 crore and Rs.6.34 lakh to Ravi. These were rejected by the bank due to "insufficient funds".

"This court is of the view that interest of justice will be best served by awarding compensation up to twice the cheque amount payable as compensation to the complainant by all the convicts," the court said.

"Convict No.1 (Shubh Marketing) being the company shall be jointly and severally liable to pay the compensation amount to the complainant and in addition to the compensation, convicts Nos.2, 3 and 4 (Jogesh, Anu and Ishwar) being directors of the company are sentenced to undergo simple imprisonment of one year," the court said.

However, the court suspended their jail term and allowed them to appeal against their conviction after granting bail to the trio. The court asked them to furnish a bail bond of Rs.1 lakh, with a surety of like amount.

Ishwar had contested the 2012 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh from Shimla (Rural) constituency on a BJP ticket against incumbent chief minister of the state and Congress leader Virbhadra Singh.