Filmmaker Mehul Kumar gets 6-months jail in cheque bounce case

Ahmedabad: A court in Jamnagar today sentenced Bollywood director and producer Mehul Kumar to six months in jail in a cheque bounce case. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Altaf Memon handed down the sentence along with a fine of Rs 5,000 to Kumar who is known for delivering hit films such as "Tiranga" and "Krantiveer". The court, however, stayed his sentence for a month to enable him to challenge the order in a higher court. Kumar had given a signed cheque of Rs 63,805 to complainant Jagdish Asra, who is a manager at Jamnagar-based Arcadia Shipping and Trading Company, in 2008. The cheque, however, bounced due to insufficient funds in Kumar's bank account. Asra then filed a criminal complaint under section 138 of Negotiable Instruments Act for dishonour of the cheque. Kumar is credited with having produced, directed and written over three dozen films both in Hindi and Gujarati. Some of his notable movies including "Tiranga," "Marte Dam Tak," "Kohram" and "Krantiveer". He has worked with Bollywood actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Dimple Kapadia among others.