Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been sentenced to three months in prison by a Mumbai court in a long-running cheque bounce case. The ruling marks the end of a legal battle that has spanned several years. The court also issued a non-bailable warrant for Varma’s arrest. The verdict, initially scheduled for January 21, came just a day after Varma announced his new film Syndicate. However, the filmmaker chose to skip the hearing. According to a Telangana Today report, after seven years of proceedings, the court finally issued the non-bailable warrant today.
Varma was found guilty under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which addresses cheque dishonor due to insufficient funds or exceeding the account balance. Along with the prison sentence, the filmmaker must pay Rs 3.75 lakh in compensation to the complainant. Failure to do so within three months will result in an additional three months of imprisonment.
The case stems from a 2018 complaint filed by a company named Shree, represented by Maheshchandra Mishra, claiming that a cheque issued by Varma’s firm had bounced due to insufficient funds. Varma was granted bail in June 2022 after providing a personal bond and a Rs 5,000 security deposit. The court made it clear that Varma would not be granted any set-off under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as he had not been in custody during the trial. After multiple hearings, the court concluded there was enough evidence to back the allegations.