In the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh ...... Criminal Misc. No.M-579 of 2009 ..... Date of decision:19.3.2009 Master Puran Singh .....Petitioner v. M/s Nirmal Singh and Co. and another .....Respondents .... Present: Mr. A.S. Kalra, Advocate for the petitioner. Mr. Vijay Rana, Advocate for respondent No.1. Mr. Sudhir Nehra, Additional Advocate General, Punjab for respondent No.2-State. ..... S.S. Saron, J. Heard learned counsel for the parties. This petition has been filed for the grant of pre-arrest bail in a complaint case titled M/s Nirmal Singh and Co. v. Master Puran Singh alleging commission of an offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (`Act' – for short). The respondent No.1 has filed a complaint inter alia alleging that in spite of the petitioner having issued a cheque for a sum of Rs.70,000/-, the same was not honoured which led to the filing of the complaint. The petitioner has sought pre-arrest bail as he failed to put in appearance before the trial Magistrate and was declared as a proclaimed Cr. Misc. No.M-579/2009 [2] offender. At the time of motion hearing, the petitioner tendered a draft for a sum of Rs.70,000/- payable to Punjab Concrete Block Company, Lambra. Accordingly, notice of motion was issued and the petitioner was directed to put in appearance before the learned trial Magistrate. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted a certified copy of the order dated 10.1.2009 passed by the learned Judicial Magistrate Ist Class, Jalandhar whereby the petitioner has appeared and furnished bail bond and surety. Accordingly, he had been admitted to bail. Mr. Vijay Rana, Advocate had appeared on the last date of hearing and taken time to seek instructions whether respondent No.1 was ready to accept the bank draft dated 7.1.2009. Today, when the case was taken up for hearing, learned counsel for the petitioner has tendered a fresh draft dated 18.3.2009 drawn on the Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited Punjab- Jalandhar for a sum of Rs.70,000/- in favour of Punjab Concrete Block Company, Lambra. The draft has been tendered in Court and has been handed over to Mr. Vijay Rana, Advocate for respondent No.1, who has stated that he is willing to accept the draft and compound the offence by withdrawing the complaint. The draft dated 18.3.2009 has been given to Mr. Vijay Rana, Advocate, counsel for respondent No.1. It is submitted by Mr. Vijay Rana that in view of the acceptance of the draft the complaint pending before the learned trial Magistrate shall be deemed to have been compounded in terms of Section 147 of the Act which provides for compounding of the offence under the Act. In view of the above, the interim bail granted on 9.1.2009 is made absolute. The complainant-respondent No.1 may take steps to withdraw the complaint pending before the learned Judicial Magistrate Ist Cr. Misc. No.M-579/2009 [3] Class, Jalandhar. March 19, 2009. (S.S. Saron) Judge *hsp*