In a relief to former cricketer Robin Uthappa, the sessions court has sent the cheque bouncing case against him back to the magistrate court for a fresh hearing due to non-compliance with mandatory legal provisions.
Earlier, the magistrate court had initiated proceedings against the firm where Uthappa served as a director in connection with the cheque bouncing case. However, the sessions court has now set aside the summons issued by the magistrate against Uthappa. The court noted that the magistrate court should have carried out a preliminary investigation under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code to determine if there were sufficient grounds to summon the accused, especially since Uthappa resides outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Accordingly, the sessions court has directed the magistrate court to hear the case afresh.
### Background of the Case
The complaint was filed against Centaurus Lifestyle Brands Pvt Ltd, where Robin Uthappa was a director. It is claimed that Centaurus Lifestyle had engaged Senior Marketing as their sole distributor for their products in Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai.
### Cheques Bounced in 2019
The dispute arose when Centaurus Lifestyle engaged two additional distributors in October 2017 without the consent of the complainant firm. Following a meeting, the complainant returned all stocks, and Centaurus agreed to make the payment.
In July 2018, goods were dispatched, and in February 2019, Centaurus issued post-dated cheques amounting to Rs. 22.22 lakh. However, these cheques bounced in March 2019 due to insufficient funds, leading to the current proceedings.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/relief-for-robin-uthappa-as-sessions-court-sends-2019-cheque-bounce-case-back-for-fresh-hearing