Renowned filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has reportedly been sentenced to three-month simple imprisonment by the Andheri Magistrate Court in Mumbai. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, stems from a cheque bounce case that has been under trial for seven years. According to a report by Telangana Today, the court also issued a non-bailable warrant against the director during the proceedings.
Ram Gopal Varma convicted
According to the report, Varma has been convicted under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which penalises cheque dishonor cases caused by insufficient funds or surpassing the account’s limit. The court has also directed him to compensate the complainant with ₹3.75 lakh. Failure to pay this amount within three months would result in an additional three-month imprisonment.
The case was initiated in 2018 by a company named Shree, represented by Maheshchandra Mishra, against Varma’s production firm. Back in June 2022, the director secured bail after submitting a personal bond and a ₹5000 security deposit. The magistrate clarified that no relief under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure would be applicable in this case, as Varma was not in custody during the trial.
Reports suggest that the director was not present during the sentencing. A detailed judgment outlining the court’s reasoning is yet to be released.
Ram Gopal Varma reacts to the news
The director took to X and clarified that the case is seven years old. He wrote, "With regard to the news about me and Andheri court, I want to clarify that it is to do with a 7-year-old case of Rs 2 lakh 38 thousand amount, relating to my ex-employee. My advocates are attending to it. and since the matter is in court i cannot say anything further."
Ram Gopal Varma announces new film 'Syndicate'
The director announced his next film called ‘Syndicate’ on social media shortly after penning a note of confession to himself in which he expressed regret for having failed to set his film ‘Sathya’ as the benchmark for all his films.
“In continuation to my confession note on ‘Satya’ film, I decided to make the biggest film ever. The film is called ‘Syndicate.’ It’s about a terrifying organisation which threatens the very existence of India,” he wrote. He also promised that further details, including the cast, would be revealed soon.