Rajkot: A lower court in Rajkot has ordered one year imprisonment and compensation to famous director Rajkumar Santosh in two separate check return cases. Film director Rajkumar Santoshi filed two appeals in the Sessions Court challenging the sentence and compensation order. The Sessions Court dismissed both the appeals and upheld the order of the lower court.
According to the facts of this case, famous film director Rajkumar Santoshi was adamant on returning the amount along with compensation due to his relationship with Rajkot builder Anil Dhanrajbhai Jethani. In front of them, Rajkumar Santoshi gave separate checks of Rs 17.50 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to the complainant Anil Jethani. Two separate complaints were filed against Rajkumar Santoshi, both of whom were returning cheques.
At the end of evidence in both the complaints, the Rajkot court convicted Rajkumar Santoshi of the offense under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act and ordered him to undergo one year imprisonment and pay check amount compensation. Rajkumar Santoshi filed an appeal against that order in the Rajkot Sessions Court.
In the appeal against both the convictions, separate defenses were advanced on behalf of Rajkumar Santoshi that Rajkumar Santoshi was not supposed to pay the amount to the complainant but the complaint was filed by misusing the blank cheque. It was agreed between the complainant and the accused to pay a sum of sixty lakh rupees including full compensation to the complainant. Out of which Rajkumar Santoshi had paid Rs 37.50 lakh to Anil Jethani. After hearing the arguments of both the parties, Rajkot Additional Sessions Judge SC Makwana dismissed both the appeals of Rajkot Santoshi and upheld the sentence and compensation order made by the trial court.