Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881

[CHAPTER XVII

OF PENALTIES IN CASE OF DISHONOUR OF CERTAIN CHEQUES FOR INSUFFICIENCY OF FUNDS IN THE ACCOUNTS

Dishonour of cheque for insufficiency, etc., of funds in the account.

138. Where any cheque drawn by a person on an account maintained by him with a banker for payment of any amount of money to another person from out of that account for the discharge, in whole or in part, of any debt or other liability, is returned by the bank unpaid, either because of the amount of money standing to the credit of that account is insufficient to honour the cheque or that it exceeds the amount arranged to be paid from that account by an agreement made with that bank, such person shall be deemed to have committed an offence and shall, without prejudice to any other provision of this Act, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to [two years], or with fine which may extend to twice the amount of the cheque, or with both:

Provided that nothing contained in this section shall apply unless-

(a)	-	the cheque has been presented to the bank within a period of six months from the date on which it is drawn or within the period of its validity, whichever is earlier;
(b)	-	the payee or the holder in due course of the cheque, .... To read the full section download the app from Google Play store Latest Job Openings View all Featured 13 April 2026 GST CONSULTANCY Abhishek G Agrawal & Co. Korba CA Final View Details Featured ARTICLESHIP 19 March 2026 Article Assistant Gupta Sachdeva & Co. Chartered Accountants New Delhi CA Final View Details Featured 28 March 2026 Accountant Ashok Amol & Associates New Delhi B.Com View Details Featured 29 April 2026 Manager- Finance and Compliance Naveen Fintech Pvt Ltd Kolkata CA Inter View Details Featured 28 March 2026 CA Final Ashok Amol & Associates New Delhi CA Final View Details Featured 14 April 2026 GST CONSULTANT Abhishek G Agrawal & Co. Korba CA Final View Details Share  Facebook  Twitter  Linkedin  Reddit  Email  Whatsapp  Gmail  Pocket  Print  Pinterest  PDF  Translate Whatsapp Groups GST Income Tax CA Final CA Inter CAclubindia Login at CAclubindia CAclubindia India's largest network for finance professionals User Name Password Remember Me Forgot Password ? Alternatively, you can log in using: Login with Google Don't have an account? Register Now click here to register