ORDER

The revision petitioner is the 7^th accused in C.C No. 3743 of 2014 on the file of the Judicial First Class Magistrate-III, Thrissur and he is challenging the order dated 21.08.2020 in Crl.M.P. No. 3740 of 2020, whereby the trial court dismissed his application seeking discharge under Section 239 Cr.P.C.

2. The accused persons, 9 in number, were charge-sheeted by the Sub Inspector of Police, Mannuthy Police Station for the offence under Section 420 r/w 149 IPC and Section 3 r/w 17 of the Money Lenders Act and r/w 9 of the Kerala Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act, 2012 .

3. As per the prosecution case, the revision petitioner is one among the 8 Directors of the Golden Valley Chits (India) Ltd., a registered financial company, and the company obtained 128 signed blank cheques as security from various subscribers of the chitty conducted by the company without obtaining the licence required under the Kerala Money Lenders Act .

4. Heard Sri. Muhammed Hussain K.M., the learned counsel for the revision petitioner and Sri. Alex M. Thombra, the learned Senior Public Prosecutor for the respondent.

5. The main contention of the revision petitioner is that he has resigned