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Sumit Bansal v. M/s MGI Developers and Promoters & Anr.

with connected appeals · 2026 INSC 40Decided 8 Jan 2026
with connected appeals
Justice Sanjay Karol · Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra

Background

After a stalled property deal, a developer and its proprietor issued multiple bounced cheques over time toward a refund; the High Court quashed one of five related complaints as duplicative of another.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court held each dishonoured cheque supports its own separate Section 138 complaint, multiple cheques from one underlying transaction don't automatically merge into one cause of action, and restored the quashed complaint for trial.

Lesson Learnt

If a debtor issues multiple cheques over time for related dues and they all bounce, each dishonoured cheque can support its own separate criminal complaint.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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