Lok Sabha Question No. 1768 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-30
Subject: Cases under Negotiable Instruments Act
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: TARIQ ANWAR, GEETHA KOTHAPALLI, RAVNEET SINGH

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE**

**DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1768**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON THURSDAY, 30** **TH** **JULY, 2015**

**Cases under Negotiable Instruments Act**

**†1768. SHRI TARIQ ANWAR:**

**SHRIMATI KOTHAPALLI GEETHA:**

**SHRI RAVNEET SINGH:**

**Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:**

**(a) the total number of cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 pending in Supreme Court, High Courts and Subordinate Courts along with the number of cases disposed of during each of the last three years and the current year, State / UT-wise;**

**(b) whether the Government proposes to setup special courts for expeditious disposal of such pending cases;**

**(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the other steps taken / being taken by the Government in this regard;**

**(d) whether the Government proposes to amend the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; and**

**(e) if so, the details and the present status thereof?**

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE**

**(SHRI D. V. SADANANDA GOWDA)**

(a) to (e) : Data on pendency of cases is compiled by the High Courts and the Supreme Court.  As per information made available by the Supreme Court in April, 2015, only one matter challenging prosecution under Negotiable Instruments Act was pending in the Supreme Court.

On the basis of the information made available by the High Courts, a statement has been prepared and annexed indicating number of cheque dishonour cases pending and disposed of in High Courts and Districts and Subordinate Courts State/UT-wise in 2013 and 2014.  The statement includes information on number of special courts functioning in the States/UTs as on 31-12-2014 for dealing with cheque dishonour cases.

Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 has been promulgated to    inter-alia, clarify the jurisdiction for filing cases relating to cheque dishonour and to consolidate multiple cases being filed on the subject matter in different courts.

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**Annexure**

**Statement referred to Lok Sabha Un-starred Question No. †1768 for reply on 30** **th** **July, 2015 regarding ‘Cases under Negotiable Instruments Act’**

Number of Cheque Dishonour Cases pending and disposed in High Courts in the years 2013 and 2014

| **S. No.**   | **High Court**   | **Pendency of Cases**   |                      | **Disposal of Cases**    |                          |
|--------------|------------------|-------------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|              |                  | **As on 31.12.2013**    | **As on 31.12.2014** | **During the year 2013** | **During the year 2014** |
| 1            | Allahabad        | 75                      | 512                  | 7                        | 23                       |
| 2            | Andhra Pradesh   | 3022                    | 3280                 | 427                      | 1032                     |
| 3            | Bombay           | 3945                    | 4115                 | 677                      | 534                      |
| 4            | Calcutta         | 187                     | 211                  | 0                        | 6                        |
| 5            | Delhi            | 1174                    | 1218                 | 845                      | 1310                     |
| 6            | Gujarat          | 658                     | 1034                 | 50                       | 53                       |
| 7            | Gauhati          | 9755                    | 172                  | 2982                     | 127                      |
| 8            | Himachal Pradesh | 422                     | 630                  | 150                      | 147                      |
| 9            | Jammu &Kashmir   | 50                      | 65                   | 60                       | 25                       |
| 10           | Karnataka        | 870                     | 2416                 | 231                      | 493                      |
| 11           | Kerala           | 9198                    | 9204                 | 2618                     | 1927                     |
| 12           | Madras           | 5975                    | 7106                 | 753                      | 866                      |
| 13           | Madhya Pradesh   | 1624                    | 1031                 | 200                      | 197                      |
| 14           | Orissa           | 228                     | 225                  | 42                       | 26                       |
| 15           | Patna            | 214                     | 304                  | 66                       | 69                       |
| 16           | Punjab & Haryana | 3019                    | 4817                 | 1734                     | 2583                     |
| 17           | Rajasthan        | 794                     | 955                  | 351                      | 311                      |
| 18           | Sikkim           | 1                       | 1                    | 1                        | 1                        |
| 19           | Uttarakhand      | 403                     | 562                  | 17                       | 88                       |
| 20           | Chhattisgarh     | 121                     | 150                  | 22                       | 24                       |
| 21           | Jharkhand        | 247                     | 356                  | 100                      | 113                      |
| 22           | Tripura          | 12                      | 15                   | 0                        | 4                        |
| 23           | Manipur          | 0                       | 0                    | 0                        | 0                        |
| 24           | Meghalya         | 0                       | 0                    | 0                        | 0                        |
| **Total**    |                  | **41994**               | **38379**            | **11333**                | **9959**                 |

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**Number of Cheque Dishonour Cases pending and disposed in District and Subordinate Courts in the years 2013 and 2014 and Number of Special Courts for Cheque dishonour cases functioning in the States / UTs as on 31.12.2014**

| Sr. No.   | States / UTs                 | Pendency of Cases   | Pendency of Cases   | Disposal of Cases    | Disposal of Cases    | No. of Special courts for Cheque dishonour cases functioning in the States / UTs as on 31.12.2014   |
|-----------|------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sr. No.   | States / UTs                 | As on 31.12.2013    | As on 31.12.2014    | During the year 2013 | During the year 2014 | No. of Special courts for Cheque dishonour cases functioning in the States / UTs as on 31.12.2014   |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh and Telengana | 87921               | 81910               | 47748                | 75090                | 0                                                                                                   |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh            | 1                   | 3                   | 1                    | 0                    | 0                                                                                                   |
| 3         | Assam                        | 9749                | 9770                | 2981                 | 4253                 | 3                                                                                                   |
| 4         | Bihar                        | 7596                | 8423                | 572                  | 680                  | 0                                                                                                   |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh                 | 22988               | 25381               | 6660                 | 5877                 | 85                                                                                                  |
| 6         | Goa                          | 4724                | 4504                | 3193                 | 4536                 | 0                                                                                                   |
| 7         | Gujarat                      | 306827              | 254862              | 81214                | 145135               | 31                                                                                                  |
| 8         | Haryana                      | 68606               | 44050               | 36378                | 71603                | 13                                                                                                  |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh             | 16567               | 15504               | 8902                 | 13879                | 4                                                                                                   |
| 10        | Jammu & Kashmir              | 4395                | 5124                | 1436                 | 2242                 | 0                                                                                                   |
| 11        | Jharkhand                    | 17196               | 16222               | 3877                 | 6143                 | 0                                                                                                   |
| 12        | Karnataka                    | 167985              | 139369              | 81334                | 180748               | 1                                                                                                   |
| 13        | Kerala                       | 103959              | 98725               | 47817                | 84455                | 1                                                                                                   |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh               | 86599               | 79630               | 56713                | 57420                | 12                                                                                                  |
| 15        | Maharashtra                  | 325629              | 274532              | 150657               | 162257               | 60                                                                                                  |
| 16        | Manipur                      | 51                  | 38                  | 7                    | 29                   | 0                                                                                                   |
| 17        | Meghalaya                    | 54                  | 60                  | 31                   | 20                   | 0                                                                                                   |
| 18        | Mizoram                      | 0                   | 6                   | 0                    | 0                    | 0                                                                                                   |
| 19        | Nagaland                     | 6                   | 6                   | 1                    | 0                    | 0                                                                                                   |
| 20        | Orissa                       | 62539               | 53045               | 7997                 | 18221                | 0                                                                                                   |
| 21        | Punjab                       | 56321               | 49422               | 38968                | 60725                | 8                                                                                                   |
| 22        | Rajasthan                    | 244121              | 214071              | 109406               | 126048               | 39                                                                                                  |
| 23        | Sikkim                       | 58                  | 101                 | 57                   | 59                   | 0                                                                                                   |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu                   | 100440              | 85832               | 68009                | 66040                | 39                                                                                                  |
| 25        | Tripura                      | 723                 | 773                 | 402                  | 395                  | 0                                                                                                   |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh                | 101928              | 108996              | 24024                | 41426                | 0                                                                                                   |
| 27        | Uttarakhand                  | 16491               | 14784               | 7922                 | 13852                | 0                                                                                                   |
| 28        | West Bengal                  | 177475              | 161665              | 39344                | 55656                | 31                                                                                                  |
| 29        | A & N Island                 | 169                 | 243                 | 89                   | 87                   | 0                                                                                                   |
| 30        | Chandigarh                   | 9510                | 5638                | 6325                 | 10263                | 2                                                                                                   |
| 31        | D & N Haveli and Daman & Diu | 726                 | 345                 | 230                  | 555                  | 0                                                                                                   |
| 32        | Delhi                        | 88003               | 69418               | 51234                | 116830               | 20                                                                                                  |
| 33        | Lakshadweep                  | 0                   | 0                   | 0                    | 0                    | 0                                                                                                   |
| 34        | Pondicherry                  | 2656                | 2619                | 408                  | 658                  | 0                                                                                                   |
| **Total** |                              | **2092013**         | **1825071**         | **883937**           | **1325182**          | **349**                                                                                             |

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