SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

2026 Supreme(Online)(Ker) 6178

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
K. BABU, J
AJU. P. K. – Appellant
Versus
STATE OF KERALA – Respondent
CRL.REV.PET NO. 125 OF 2026



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: SRI.B.S.SURESH, SMT.LAKSHMI SURESH
For the Respondents: ADV N R SANGEETHA RAJ

The revisional jurisdiction preserves justice unless lower court's findings are perverse or unreasonable.

Headnote:This judgment deliberates on the implications of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, highlighting the conviction of the accused for dishonoring cheques totaling Rs.3,00,000. The Court confirms the trial court's decision, noting the proper adherence to legal procedures and statutory presumptions. The court affirms that the revisional jurisdiction does not equate to an appellate review, emphasizing the need for compelling errors to alter lower court judgments. Consequently, the Revision Petition is dismissed.

Table of Content
1. accused convicted for cheque dishonor under ni act. (Para 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5)
2. court affirms standards for reviewing lower court decisions. (Para 6)
3. revisional jurisdiction defined and limited. (Para 7)
4. final ruling on conviction affirmed. (Para 8)
5. time granted for fine payment and surrender. (Para 9)

O R D E R

The challenge in this Crl. Revision Petition is to the judgment dated 25.10.2023 in ST. No.276 of 2020 of the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Chottanikkara, which has been confirmed by the Additional Sessions Court – I, Ernakulam, in the judgment dated 7.11.2025 in Crl.Appeal No.470 of 2023.

2. The revision petitioner is the accused. He has been convicted under Section 138 of the NI Act and sentenced to undergo imprisonment till the rising of the Court. He was also directed to pay a fine of Rs.3,00,000/-.

3. The complainant/respondent No.2 filed a complaint before the Trial Court alleging that \

accused/revision petitioner executed Exts.P2 to P4 cheques for a total sum of Rs.3,00,000/. The complainant presented the cheques for encashment. It was dishonoured unpaid due to insufficiency of funds in the account of the accused. Even after the receipt of the statutory notice, the revision petitioner did not pay the amount covered by cheques.

4. The trial Court took cognizance of the offence under Section 138 of the NI Act. Revision petitioner appeared on summons. He pleaded not guilty to the offence alleged.

5. The complainant gave evidence as PW1 in support of the averments in the complaint. He stated that revision petitioner/accused executed Ext.P2 to P4 cheques for a total sum of Rs.3,00,000/- in discharge of a liability. The plea of accused during the trial was that he had not issued such a cheque. The complainant has proved the execution of Ext.P1 cheque. Therefore, the \

statutory presumption under Section 139 has been drawn in favour of him. The accused failed to place any material to rebut the statutory presumption drawn in favour of the complainant.

6. I have carefully scanned the pleadings and evidence. I failed to find any misreading of records by the trial Court. The Sessions Court, after meticulously analyzing the findings confirmed the conviction rendered by the trial Court.

7. Unless the order passed by the Magistrate is perverse or the view taken by the court is wholly unreasonable, or there is nonconsideration of any relevant material, or there is palpable misreading of records, the Revisional Court is not justified in setting aside the order, merely because another view is possible. The Revisional Court is not meant to act as an appellate court. The whole purpose of the revisional jurisdiction is to preserve the power in the court to do justice in \

accordance with the principles of criminal jurisprudence. The revisional power of the court under Sections 397 to 401 Cr.P.C is not to be equated with that of an appeal. Unless the finding of the court, whose decision is sought to be revised, is shown to be perverse or untenable in law or is grossly erroneous or glaringly unreasonable or where the decision is based on no material or where the material facts are wholly ignored or where the judicial discretion is exercised arbitrarily or capriciously, the courts may not interfere with decision in exercise of their revisional jurisdiction. {Vide: Sanjaysinh Ramrao Chavan v. Dattatray Gulabrao Phalke [(2015) 3 SCC 123] , Munna Devi v. State of Rajasthan & Anr [(2001) 9 SCC 631)] and Asian Resurfacing of Road Agency Pvt. Ltd. v. Central Bureau of Investigation [(2018)

16 SCC 299)]}.

\

8. Therefore, this Court is of the view that the conviction and sentence require no interference. Hence, the Revision Petition is dismissed.

9. At this juncture, the learned counsel for the revision petitioner submitted that revision petitioner is prepared to deposit the fine amount within six months.

Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top