As of December 18, there are more than 43 lakh cases of bounced cheques waiting to be resolved in courts all across India. Rajasthan has the highest number, with over 6.4 lakh cases. Other states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal also have many of these cases pending.
Cheque bounce cases, along with traffic fines, make up a large part of the delays in Indian courts. While the government has made it easier to pay traffic fines online through virtual courts, bounced cheque cases still have to be handled in regular courts. This is because they involve serious legal matters that require evidence and witness statements.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal recently explained in Parliament that these delays happen for a few reasons. They include many court adjournments (delays), not having enough monitoring systems, and no clear time limits for the courts to finish these cases. The ability to resolve cases also depends on other factors, such as available resources, cooperation from lawyers and witnesses, and how well the court rules are followed.
To address these long delays, the Supreme Court set up a committee on March 10, 2021, to find ways to speed up cheque bounce cases filed under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The committee suggested creating special courts just for these cases.
To see if this idea would work, the experts recommended doing a test study in five areas where there are a lot of bounced cheque cases—one each in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. On May 19, 2022, the Supreme Court ordered that this pilot study take place over one year in 25 special courts located in the chosen areas.
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