However, the High Court said that since the check involved repayment of a bribe amount, it could not be said to have been issued in discharge of a legally enforceable debt or commitment.

“Thus, the learned trial court rightly concluded that no legally enforceable debt existed in this case and the check issued in pursuance of an illegal act cannot give rise to criminal liability under the law on negotiable instruments.“, he added.

The Court therefore upheld Dev’s acquittal and dismissed the appeal.

Advocate Ramesh Kumar Jha represented Dev.