Non-bailable warrant against Ram Gopal Varma after being sentenced to 3 months in jail

A magistrate court in Mumbai’s Andheri convicted and sentenced filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma to three months of simple imprisonment in a cheque bounce case, directing him to pay compensation of ₹3.72 lakh to the complainant within three months.

The court ruled that Varma would face an additional three months in jail if the compensation was not paid, issuing a non-bailable warrant against him as he was not present during the judgment, The Indian Express reported.

The case was initiated following a complaint filed by Shree, a company represented by Maheshchandra Mishra, under the Negotiable Instruments Act concerning cheque bounce due to insufficient funds.

According to the complaint, Varma’s firm had procured hard disks from the company between February and March 2018, for which tax invoices amounting to ₹2.38 lakh were raised. A cheque issued on June 1, 2018, by Varma's firm was dishonoured due to insufficient funds, and a subsequent cheque issued on August 22, 2018, also bounced, leading to legal proceedings.

The complainant’s legal team detailed that despite the company’s efforts to recover the dues, the issue remained unresolved, prompting them to approach the court for redress.

While Varma attributed the matter to an old financial dispute involving a former employee, his representatives stated that legal action is being addressed, though the filmmaker refrained from further comments as the matter is subjudice.