A Mumbai Sessions Court has acquitted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma in a cheque-bouncing case after he settled the dispute by paying ₹3 lakh to the complainant company through a Lok Adalat. The court set aside his earlier conviction and sentence.
Varma was initially convicted in January 2025 by a Magistrate court in Andheri and sentenced to three months’ simple imprisonment under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which deals with cheque dishonour.
The case stems from a 2018 dispute, when Shree, a company that supplied hard disks to Varma’s production house, raised tax invoices totaling ₹2,38,220 between February and March 2018. The cheques issued against these invoices bounced, prompting legal action.
During the trial, Varma denied issuing or authorising the cheques, but the Magistrate court found sufficient documentary evidence, including invoices and correspondence, to convict him.
Varma then approached the Dindoshi Sessions Court challenging the conviction. After his initial bail plea was rejected and a warrant issued, he chose to settle the matter. Following confirmation of the payment through Lok Adalat, the Sessions Court acquitted him and set aside the earlier conviction.
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