IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of decision: 24^th September, 2025

1. CRR-1684-2023 Navneet Aggarwal ...Petitioner Versus Vaibhav Bhalla ...Respondent

2. CRR-2290-2023 Vaibhav Bhalla ...Petitioner Versus Navneet Aggarwal ...Respondent

3. CRR-1678-2023 Navneet Aggarwal ...Petitioner Versus Vaibhav Bhalla ...Respondent

4. CRR-2286-2023 Vaibhav Bhalla ...Petitioner Versus Navneet Aggarwal ...Respondent

5. CRR-1682-2023 Navneet Aggarwal ...Petitioner Versus Vaibhav Bhalla ...Respondent

6. CRR-2291-2023 Vaibhav Bhalla ...Petitioner Versus Navneet Aggarwal ...Respondent

7. CRR-1669-2023 Navneet Aggarwal ...Petitioner Versus Vaibhav Bhalla ...Respondent

8. CRR-2317-2023 Vaibhav Bhalla ...Petitioner Versus Navneet Aggarwal ...Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Mr. Sanjay Kaushal, Senior Advocate with Mr. A.P. Setia, Advocate and Mr. Ankit Rana, Advocate for the petitioner.

Respondent in person with Mr. Yogesh Goel, Ms. Ashima Teria and Ms. Ankita Jamwal, Advocates.

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MANISHA BATRA, J (ORAL):-

The aforementioned petitions bearing CRR Nos. 1669-2023, 1678-2023, 1682-2023 and 1684-2023, have been filed by the accused, whereas the petitions bearing CRR Nos. 2286-2023, 2290-2023, 2291-2023 and 2317-2023 have been filed by the complainant making challenge to the judgments dated 14.10.2019 passed by the Court of Judicial Magistrate Ist Class, Ludhiana in four criminal complaints bearing Nos. 8539 of 2017, 8563 of 2017, 8565 of 2017 and 8577 of 2017, respectively, whereby the accused had been held guilty under Section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (For short, ‘NI Act’) and had been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years and to pay compensation in each complaint. Challenge is further made to the judgments dated 15.07.2023 passed by the Court of learned Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhaina/Appellate Court thereby dismissing the appeals filed by the accused and partly allowing the apeals filed by the complainant.

2. As all the above named revision petitions have arisen out of the judgments passed by the trial Magistrate in four complaints filed under Section 138 of NI Act by the same complainant against the same accused and qua the cheques which were part of the same transaction and ave on similar facts as the judgments passed by the learned Appellate Court are also on the same point, hence, these petitions are taken up and heard together and are being decided by this common judgment.

3. For the sake of continuity and coherence, hereinafter the parties shall be referred to as per their original nomenclature as given in the complaints and at the time of trial.

4. Brief facts of the case relevant for the purpose of disposal of these revision petitions are that the aforementioned four criminal complaints were filed by the complainant-Vaibhav Bhalla through his power of attorney holder Vishal Bhalla against the accused Navneet Aggarwal, on the allegations that he was dealing in business of ready-made garments. The accused, who was carrying on business under the name and style of AIP Industries had approached the complainant with request for grant of loan to the tune of Rs. 20,00,000/- for his business requirements. The complainant had advanced the aforementioned amount to him through a cheque No. 510141 dated 08.11.2016. The accused had agreed to pay composite interest on the loan amount. Out of the principal amount, the accused returned a sum of Rs. 11,00,000/- to the complainant and on demanding the remaining amount by the complainant, he had issued four cheques bearing Nos. 636351, 636615, 636616 and 636617 total amounting to Rs. 9,00,000/- in order to discharge his legally enforceable liability towards the complainant, in relation to the loan so advanced by assuring that the cheques would be honoured. However, these cheques were dishonoured with the remarks “insufficient funds”. The complainant issued statutory notices calling upon the accused to pay the amount of the above menti