Surat Lok Adalat Settles 10-year-old ₹76 Lakh Cheque Bounce Case

SURAT : In a remarkable success for the Lok Adalat mechanism, a nearly 10-year-old cheque bounce dispute involving ₹76 lakhs was amicably settled in a single day before the Lok Adalat at Surat Court, bringing an end to prolonged litigation that had travelled through multiple judicial forums.

The dispute originated in 2015, when Manohar Capital Markets Limited, Surat, invested ₹1.36 crore in a wind energy project promoted by Win Wind (India) Limited, Mumbai, after the company represented that it was developing a large-scale windmill project at Mahudha, Rajkot, Gujarat, promising attractive returns on the investment.

However, the project was not completed as assured. By 2017, the company refunded ₹60 lakhs, while issuing cheques for the remaining ₹76 lakhs. The cheques were subsequently dishonoured, compelling Manohar Capital Markets Limited, through its Advocate Naresh Gohil, to initiate cheque dishonour proceedings before the competent court.

During the pendency of the case, the accused company entered insolvency proceedings, giving rise to complex legal issues regarding the maintainability of the complaint. The matter was extensively contested before the Sessions Court, Surat, as well as the Gujarat High Court. Despite these proceedings, the accused company failed to obtain any relief, and the cheque bounce case continued.

The matter eventually came before Chief Judicial Magistrate Shri M. N. Padhar, recently transferred from the CBI Court, Ahmedabad, to Surat. After carefully considering the facts and the prolonged nature of the litigation, the learned Magistrate encouraged both parties to explore an amicable resolution. With the cooperation of Advocate Naresh Gohil for the complainant and Advocate Anish Ayali for the accused, meaningful negotiations were held, resulting in a complete settlement within a single day.

Pursuant to the settlement, the accused company handed over a Pay Order of ₹76 lakhs to the complainant company, bringing the decade-old dispute to a successful conclusion.

Recognising the significance of the settlement, District & Sessions Judge Shri R. A. Trivedi and Joint District Judge Shri Parmar invited both parties and their respective advocates to their chamber. In the presence of Chief Judicial Magistrate Shri M. N. Padhar, they congratulated the parties and the learned advocates for resolving the long-pending dispute through the spirit of conciliation promoted by the Lok Adalat.

The successful resolution of this case once again highlights the effectiveness of the Lok Adalat system in facilitating speedy, cost-effective, and amicable settlement of long-pending commercial disputes, reaffirming public confidence in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.