Know Your Rights!!

  I once read that "Every cheque tells a story of trust, accountability, and financial integrity." So, when I stumbled upon the case of K. Ramesh v. K. Kothandaraman SLP(Crl) 3377 of 2019 (Supreme Court) , it was intriguing to see how legal experts can dispute even the smallest details to support their clients. Surprisingly, the matter of the dispute in front of the Supreme Court was not on cheque bouncing; instead, the dispute centred around the age of the ink used for the signature on the cheque and the age of the signature and contents of the cheque. Let's explore how our highest court navigates through such intricacies in cheque disputes. As the case unfolded, the courts emphasized a key legal presumption outlined in Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, of 1881. According to this provision, when an individual signs a cheque and hands it over to the payee (receiver of a cheque), it is "presumed" that he is responsible for honouring the payment unl...