JUDGMENT

1. By way of the present petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 [CrPC], the petitioner seeks setting aside and quashing of Complaint Case No.7398/2019 under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 [NIA] filed by the respondent no.2/complainant [respondent no.2] against the petitioner/accused no.2 therein [petitioner] and 3 other co-accused persons before the learned Metropolitan Magistrate [learned MM] and summoning order dated 04.10.2019 passed therein.

2. The facts disclose that the respondent no.2 first invested Rs.50,00,000/- in January 2009 and then again invested Rs.20,00,000/- in March 2014 with the petitioner and was assured a return of double the amount on or before March 2019. Thereafter, the petitioner issued a Promissory Note dated 18.02.2019 in favour of the respondent no.2 and his wife Ms. Rupinder Kaur Bedi [wife] acknowledging his liability to pay Rs.2,47,53,000/- to them on or before 30.06.2019.

3. The petitioner then issued as many as 9 cheques all dated 16.07.2019, of which, admittedly, 6 cheques were in the name of the respondent no.2 whereas rest of the 3 cheques were in the name of his wife. All the said 9 cheques