BJP leader, others get one yr jail term; to pay over Rs 12 cr

Three persons, including a local BJP leader from Shimla, have been sentenced to one year jail term by a Delhi court in a cheque bounce case and ordered to pay over Rs 12 crore as compensation to the complainant.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Beniwal granted bail to the three - Jogesh Chand Jerath, Anu Jerath and Ishwar Rohal- all of whom are directors in Shubh Marketing Pvt Ltd and ordered them and their real estate firm to pay over Rs 12 crore as compensation to the complainant.
Ishwar Rohal had contested the 2012 assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh from Shimla (Rural) constituency on a BJP ticket, but had lost to Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, presently the Chief Minister of the state.

"...This court is of the view that interest of justice will be best served by awarding compensation upto twice the cheque amount payable as compensation to the complainant by all the convicts.
"Convict no 1 (Shubh Marketing Pvt Ltd) 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.
The court has suspended their jail term, to enable them to file an appeal against their conviction and sentence in the higher court.

It also directed them to furnish a bail bond of Rs one lakh, with one surety of like amount.
The court's judgement came on the complaint, under the Negotiable Instruments Act, filed by Delhi resident -- Ravi Sharma who had alleged that he had given a friendly loan of Rs 4.9 crore in January 2010 to Shubh Marketing Pvt Ltd, of Jogesh, Anu and Ishwar.
Sharma had told the court that the accused, who were into the business of construction and building development issued two cheques of Rs 5.74 crore and Rs 6.34 lakh duly signed by them for paying the amount back, but it was rejected by the bank due to "insufficient funds".