Governs cheques, promissory notes, and bills of exchange. Section 138 criminalises dishonour of cheques for insufficiency of funds.
Where a cheque drawn for discharge of a legally enforceable debt is dishonoured, the drawer is deemed to have committed an offence and shall be punished with imprisonment up to two years, or fine up to twice the cheque amount, or both.
No court shall take cognizance of an offence under section 138 except upon a written complaint by the payee within one month of the cause of action arising.
The text shown is a working summary used inside Nyaya for grounding and UI preview. For verbatim reproduction, refer to the bare Act published on indiacode.nic.in.