BENGALURU: Primary Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangrappa has been convicted in a cheque bounce case by the Special Court for the trial of cases filed against sitting and former MPs/MLAs. The minister has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 6,96,70,000, failing which he has to undergo a simple imprisonment for six months.
Madhu Bangarappa, director of M/s Akash Audio-Video Private Ltd., Kumara Park East, took an Inter-Corporate Deposit (unsecured borrowing) of Rs 6 crore from M/s Rajesh Exports Ltd., in 2010. He had issued a cheque dated July 16, 2011, for Rs 6.60 crore in favour of M/s Rajesh Exports Ltd.
The cheque was dishonoured due to insufficient funds in November 2011, following which the firm moved the court. In 2022, Madhu Bangarappa approached the High Court of Karnataka seeking quashing of the proceedings against him. But his petition was dismissed.
He made a partial payment of Rs 50 lakh to the complainant when the matter was pending before the high court. He also filed an undertaking before the special court on December 26, 2023, stating that he would make full payment on or before January 30, 2024.
‘He tried to drag the proceedings’
“From the attending circumstances, it appears that accused no. 2 (Madhu Bangarappa) is in the habit of filing undertakings before the court, but is not willing to comply with the same. At the cost of repetition, it is to be stated that accused no. 2 has not complied with the undertaking given before the high court.
On the other hand, he tried to drag the proceedings for almost one year after the criminal petition was dismissed by the high court,” Judge Preeth J stated before convicting the accused for the offence punishable under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, on Wednesday.