3 lakh cheque bouncing cases in Mumbai, only 23 courts

The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government what it is going to do to ensure faster disposal of cheque bouncing cases.

The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government what it is going to do to ensure faster disposal of cheque bouncing cases.

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In Mumbai alone, some three lakh cheque-bouncing cases are currently pending and there are only 23 special magistrate courts to deal with these cases.

The government gave this information to the Bombay High Court recently, during the hearing on a PIL about pendency of cases.

Additional government pleader Anand Patil informed the court that government has framed the rules for setting up evening courts in the state, which would help reduce the growing pendency.

But the division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice A M Khanwilkar was not happy with the plan.

Intially there would be twenty evening courts (ten in Mumbai), which would function from 1800 hours to 2000 hours.

The judges pointed out that evening court would not be dealing with cheque bouncing cases exclusively.

Further, the judges also expressed apprehension about practicability of setting up evening court without recruiting additional staff.