JUDGMENT :

S.V. PINTO, J.

1. The present appeal is filed by the appellant – original complainant under Section 378 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 against the order dated 24.07.2024 passed by the learned 24^th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ahmedabad City (hereinafter referred to as the “learned Trial Court”) in Criminal Case No. 119 of 2016, whereby the learned Trial Court has dismissed the Criminal Case for want of prosecution as the appellant did not remain present under the provisions of Section 256 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short “Cr.P.C.”) and the respondent No. 2 - original accused came to be acquitted from the offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the N I Act”).

1.1 The parties are hereinafter referred to as “the complainant” and “the accused” as they stood in the original case for the sake of convenience, clarity and brevity.

2. The brief facts culled out from the memo of the present appeal as well as the record and proceedings are as under :

2.1 The complainant - a finance company, had filed a complaint against the accused under Section 138 of the N I Act as the accused had taken a term l