Cheque Bounce Notice (Section 138)

Recover your money — start the clock the right way

A bounced cheque is one of the most common — and most recoverable — disputes Indian businesses and individuals face. The law gives you a clear, well-tested route under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, but it runs on a strict clock, and a notice that is late or badly drafted can sink the case before it begins. Adv. Bhawna Yadav and her team draft and issue your statutory demand notice at a flat ₹999, within 48 hours and well inside the 30-day window.

The fee is fixed and agreed in writing. There is no hourly billing, nothing added later, and no upselling.

How Section 138 works

When a cheque is dishonoured — for insufficient funds, a stopped payment, or a signature mismatch — Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 treats it as an offence, provided you follow the procedure. That procedure has three timed steps, and getting the first one right is what preserves your rights.

Step one: the 30-day demand notice

Within 30 days of receiving the cheque-return memo from your bank, you must send the drawer a written demand for the cheque amount. This is the notice we draft. It must identify the cheque, the amount, the dishonour, and demand payment within 15 days — and it must be served correctly. A vague or mis-timed notice is the most common reason a strong case fails.

Step two: the 15-day wait

The drawer has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay. Many do — a properly worded demand on advocate letterhead signals that you are serious and that litigation will follow, and for a drawer who was simply stalling, that is often enough.

Step three: the complaint

If the drawer does not pay within those 15 days, you can file a criminal complaint before the magistrate — within 30 days of the payment window closing. This is a separate stage that we handle on its own scope, but it only exists if the notice in step one was correct.

Why the notice itself matters so much

It is tempting to treat the notice as a formality. It is not. It is the legal foundation of everything that follows, and the defence will scrutinise it. A good Section 138 notice precisely identifies the instrument and the debt, is addressed and served correctly, demands the right amount, and is dated within the window. We draft it to withstand that scrutiny, on advocate letterhead, signed and stamped — because the difference between a notice that holds and one that does not is the difference between recovering your money and starting over.

When you need this

• A customer's payment cheque has bounced and they are stalling.
• A repayment cheque on a loan or advance has been returned.
• A rent or security-deposit cheque has been dishonoured.
• A post-dated cheque given as security has bounced on presentation.

In each case, the same clock applies, and the same first step protects you.

What we'll need from you

To draft the notice on the right facts, please have ready: a photograph of the dishonoured cheque, the bank's return memo, proof of the underlying transaction (an invoice, agreement or messages), and the drawer's last known address. We send a short, clear list so you are not guessing what counts.

What you get

• A review of your dishonoured cheque and the bank's return memo, so the notice is built on the right facts and dates.
• A statutory demand notice drafted within the 30-day window, on advocate letterhead, signed and stamped.
• Two rounds of revisions, so the notice reflects your situation exactly.
• Clear dispatch instructions, so the notice is served in a way that stands up later.

All of it in English or Hindi, at a flat ₹999, within 48 hours.

Available across India

Because Section 138 is central legislation, the notice works the same way wherever you and the drawer are. We issue it for clients in every Indian state at the same fixed price — and the underlying right does not change from one state to another.

What happens if they still don't pay

A notice resolves a great many cheque-bounce disputes on its own. If yours is one of the cases that does not, the next step is a complaint before the magistrate, and you will already be on the right side of the timeline because the notice was issued correctly. We handle that stage separately, with the position and the cost explained to you first — never assumed.

Why clients choose us for a cheque-bounce notice

The whole value of a Section 138 notice is that it is done correctly and on time, by someone who will stand behind it. You deal with a named advocate and her team, the fee is flat and known upfront, and the notice goes out within 48 hours on proper letterhead. There is no upselling — just the decisive first step to getting your money back.

The legal basis

Cheque dishonour is governed by Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, read with Sections 139 to 142, which set out the presumptions, the notice requirement, the timelines, and how a complaint is taken on file.