Reply to a cheque-bounce notice
Answering a s.138 demand notice when no debt is owed.
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How the paper begins
With Dastavo's sample details; the people and places are fictional. The words in blue are the ones you fill in.
Priya Bedi, Advocate
Chamber 21, District Courts, Amarnagar
REPLY TO LEGAL NOTICE
Date: 12-10-2026
By Registered A.D. / Speed Post
To,
Shri Vikram Singh
House No. 45, Gulab Colony, Amarnagar, Tehsil and District Amarnagar, Punjab
Subject: Reply to your notice dated 08-10-2026 regarding cheque No. 004512
Sir/Madam,
Under instructions from and on behalf of my client, Meera Traders, through its proprietor Meera Sharma wife of Shri Kabir Sharma, aged about 41 years, resident of Shop No. 8, Grain Market, Amarnagar, Punjab, I reply to your notice dated 08-10-2026 as follows:
1.That the contents of your notice are wrong and denied, except what is expressly admitted in this reply.
2.That no legally enforceable debt or other liability was due from the noticee to your client when cheque No. 004512 was presented, because the cheque was given blank as security for a supply order that was later cancelled by your client himself.
3.That the cheque has been misused, no offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 is made out, and no amount is payable. Any proceedings will be contested at your client's risk as to costs, and the noticee reserves the right to take action for the misuse of the cheque.
The rest of the paper is in Dastavo.
What to bring
Papers to bring
- The notice you received, with its envelope (the postmark shows when it came)
- Proof that nothing was owed: repayment receipts, account statements, the agreement, or messages
- If the cheque was a security cheque, lost or misused, the record of that: the loan papers, a police report, or the stop-payment letter to the bank
Where to go
Sent by your advocate, or by you, to the sender's advocate by registered post AD or speed post, preferably within the 15 days the notice gives.
Fee
No stamp paper or court fee is needed for a notice: you pay the postage, and the advocate's fee if an advocate sends it.
Good to know
- If you do owe the cheque amount, paying it within 15 days of receiving the notice means no case under section 138 can be filed; keep the receipt.
- Keep the envelope and your reply's postal receipts: the dates matter if a complaint follows.
Papers and fees can change. Check with the office before you go. Guidance only, not yet reviewed by a lawyer.
Stamp paper
Plain paper is enough.