Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat dismissed the pleas of Gurnihal Singh Mann and S S Mann, Managing Director and Director respectively, of Sutlej Agricultural Pvt Ltd, while rejecting their argument that they were not given a fair trial and the sentence awarded to them was harsh.
"The argument raised on behalf of appellants (S S Mann and Gurnihal Singh Mann) that they were denied fair trial, deserves to be rejected. The conviction of appellants under section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act is hereby sustained.
"So far as sentence imposed upon them is concerned, I find that trial court has been very reasonable and lenient in awarding the same. By no means can it be said that sentence is harsh or not commensurate with the guilt of appellants.
"Resultantly, both appeals fail and are hereby dismissed. The appellants be taken into custody forthwith to serve the sentence imposed upon them by trial court," the judge said.
The trial court had awarded one year imprisonment to Gurnihal Singh Mann, while S S Mann was handed down jail term of one month as he is 90-year-old, in all the seven cases of cheque dishonour.
It had also directed them to pay a total compensation of Rs 2.07 crore to the complainant bank in favour of which the cheques had been issued by the appellants.
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The appellants had issued seven cheques, amounting to Rs 1.70 crore, to Yes Bank as part-payment of the settlement amount of Rs 11.8 crore arrived at between them in the Debt Recovery Tribunal.
The appellants had agreed before the tribunal to pay the bank Rs 11.8 crore as full and final discharge of the appellants liabilities.
The bank had moved the DRT after the appellants had failed to pay back the loan they had availed from it.