Thu Jan 23 16:33:36 IST 2025: ## Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma Sentenced to Three Months in Jail for Cheque Bounce
**Mumbai, India** – Acclaimed filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has been sentenced to three months imprisonment by the Andheri Magistrate Court for a seven-year-old cheque bounce case. The court issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest after Varma failed to appear for the hearing.
The case, filed in 2018 by a company named Shree, represented by Maheshchandra Mishra, stemmed from a bounced cheque issued by Varma’s firm for ₹2.38 lakh. The court found Varma guilty under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which pertains to dishonored cheques due to insufficient funds.
In addition to the jail term, Varma has been ordered to pay ₹3.72 lakh in compensation to the complainant within three months, or face an additional three months of imprisonment. While Varma was granted bail in June 2022, Magistrate YP Pujari ruled that he was not eligible for any reduction in sentence due to lack of prior custody.
Varma, known for films like “Satya” and “Rangeela,” issued a statement addressing the matter, claiming the case was not about the amount owed to a former employee but rather a dispute over alleged attempts to fabricate claims against him. He cited financial difficulties in recent years, including the sale of his office during the COVID-19 pandemic, as contributing factors to his situation.
First Piper 