Cheque bounce legal notice format (Section 138, NI Act)
Last updated 26 September 2026
Short answer
Send the demand notice within 30 days of receiving the bank's information that the cheque was returned unpaid. The person who issued the cheque then has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay. If they do not, the complaint under Section 138 is generally to be filed within one month after those 15 days end.
When a cheque is returned unpaid for insufficient funds, or because it exceeds the arrangement with the bank, the payee must send a written demand notice to the person who issued the cheque before a complaint can be filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. This page gives a sample notice, the time limits to watch, and a checklist.
Time limits and key points
- The cheque must have been presented to the bank within three months of its date (or within its validity period, if that is shorter).
- The demand notice must be sent within 30 days of the day you receive the bank's information that the cheque was returned unpaid.
- The person who issued the cheque then has 15 days from receiving the notice to pay the amount.
- If they do not pay, the complaint is generally to be filed within one month after those 15 days end (Section 142). A court may excuse a delay if there is sufficient cause.
- The punishment on conviction can be imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to twice the cheque amount, or both.
What to have ready
- The original cheque, and the bank's return memo showing the date and the reason for the return
- Full name, address and (if known) email and mobile number of the person who issued the cheque
- The debt or liability the cheque was given for (invoice, loan, agreement, bill)
- Any earlier demands, messages or acknowledgements of the debt
- Proof of sending: registered post AD receipts, speed post receipts, and email or WhatsApp records
Sample format (English)
Replace everything in [square brackets] with your facts, and delete what does not apply.
[Advocate's name / Firm name]
[Address] | [Mobile] | [Email]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
BY REGISTERED POST A.D. / SPEED POST / EMAIL
To,
[Name of the drawer of the cheque]
[Address]
Subject: Legal notice under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, for dishonour of cheque no. [number] dated [date] for Rs. [amount]
Sir / Madam,
Under instructions from and on behalf of my client, [name of payee], residing at / having its office at [address] (hereinafter "my client"), I hereby serve upon you the following notice:
1. That you owe my client a legally enforceable debt of Rs. [amount] on account of [describe: goods supplied, loan, services, agreement dated ...].
2. That in discharge of this liability you issued to my client the cheque bearing no. [number] dated [date] for Rs. [amount], drawn on [bank name and branch], from your account no. [account number].
3. That my client presented the said cheque for encashment through [payee's bank and branch] on [date], within its validity period. The cheque was returned unpaid on [date] with the remark "[reason on the return memo, e.g. Funds Insufficient]", as per the bank's return memo dated [date], which my client received on [date].
4. That the dishonour of the cheque shows that you did not have sufficient funds in your account, or that the amount exceeds the arrangement made with the bank. This is an offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
5. That my client hereby demands that you pay the cheque amount of Rs. [amount] [together with bank charges of Rs. [amount] and interest at [rate]% from [date], if claimed] to my client within 15 (fifteen) days of receiving this notice.
6. That if you fail to make the payment within 15 days of receipt of this notice, my client shall be constrained to file a criminal complaint against you under Section 138 read with Section 142 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, and to take other legal steps for recovery of the amount, entirely at your risk as to costs and consequences.
7. That a copy of this notice has been kept in my office for record.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Name of the advocate]
Advocate for [name of the payee]
Enrolment no.: [number]नमूना प्रारूप (हिंदी)
[चौकोर कोष्ठक] में दी गई जानकारी अपने तथ्यों से बदलें और जो लागू न हो उसे हटा दें।
[अधिवक्ता का नाम / फर्म का नाम]
[पता] | [मोबाइल] | [ईमेल]
दिनांक: [दिन/माह/वर्ष]
रजिस्टर्ड डाक (पावती सहित) / स्पीड पोस्ट / ईमेल द्वारा
प्रति,
[चेक जारी करने वाले का नाम]
[पता]
विषय: चेक क्रमांक [संख्या] दिनांक [तारीख], राशि रु. [राशि] के अनादरण के संबंध में परक्राम्य लिखत अधिनियम, 1881 की धारा 138 के अंतर्गत विधिक नोटिस
महोदय / महोदया,
मैं अपने मुवक्किल [प्राप्तकर्ता का नाम], निवासी / कार्यालय [पता] (जिन्हें आगे "मेरे मुवक्किल" कहा गया है) के निर्देश पर और उनकी ओर से आपको यह नोटिस देता / देती हूँ:
1. आप पर मेरे मुवक्किल का [विवरण दें: दिए गए माल, ऋण, सेवाओं, दिनांक ... के अनुबंध के संबंध में] रु. [राशि] का वैध रूप से वसूली योग्य ऋण / दायित्व है।
2. इस दायित्व के निर्वहन में आपने मेरे मुवक्किल को चेक क्रमांक [संख्या] दिनांक [तारीख], राशि रु. [राशि], [बैंक का नाम एवं शाखा] पर, अपने खाता क्रमांक [खाता संख्या] से जारी किया।
3. मेरे मुवक्किल ने उक्त चेक को उसकी वैधता अवधि के भीतर [तारीख] को [प्राप्तकर्ता का बैंक एवं शाखा] के माध्यम से भुगतान हेतु प्रस्तुत किया। बैंक के वापसी ज्ञापन (रिटर्न मेमो) दिनांक [तारीख] के अनुसार चेक [तारीख] को "[वापसी मेमो में लिखा कारण, जैसे: अपर्याप्त धनराशि]" टिप्पणी के साथ अनादृत होकर लौटा, जिसकी सूचना मेरे मुवक्किल को [तारीख] को प्राप्त हुई।
4. चेक का अनादरण यह दर्शाता है कि आपके खाते में पर्याप्त धनराशि नहीं थी, या राशि बैंक के साथ की गई व्यवस्था से अधिक थी। यह परक्राम्य लिखत अधिनियम, 1881 की धारा 138 के अंतर्गत अपराध है।
5. अतः मेरे मुवक्किल आपसे माँग करते हैं कि आप चेक की राशि रु. [राशि] [तथा यदि माँगा जाए तो बैंक शुल्क रु. [राशि] और [तारीख] से [दर]% ब्याज सहित] इस नोटिस की प्राप्ति से 15 (पंद्रह) दिनों के भीतर मेरे मुवक्किल को अदा करें।
6. यदि आप इस नोटिस की प्राप्ति से 15 दिनों के भीतर भुगतान नहीं करते, तो मेरे मुवक्किल आपके विरुद्ध परक्राम्य लिखत अधिनियम, 1881 की धारा 138 सहपठित धारा 142 के अंतर्गत आपराधिक परिवाद दायर करने तथा राशि की वसूली के लिए अन्य विधिक कार्यवाही करने को बाध्य होंगे, जिसके खर्च और परिणामों के लिए आप स्वयं उत्तरदायी होंगे।
7. इस नोटिस की एक प्रति अभिलेख हेतु मेरे कार्यालय में रखी गई है।
भवदीय,
[हस्ताक्षर]
[अधिवक्ता का नाम]
अधिवक्ता, [प्राप्तकर्ता का नाम] की ओर से
नामांकन क्रमांक: [संख्या]Common mistakes
- Sending the notice after the 30-day period from receiving the bank's return information.
- Filing the complaint before the 15 days have ended, or after the one-month period without an application to condone delay.
- Not keeping proof of dispatch and delivery (postal receipts and tracking).
- Stating a wrong cheque number, date or amount, or leaving out the bank's return memo details.
- Demanding an amount different from the cheque amount without saying what the extra is for (interest, charges).
Frequently asked questions
Within how many days must the cheque bounce notice be sent?
Within 30 days of receiving the bank's information that the cheque was returned unpaid. The counting starts from when you receive that information, so keep the return memo and note the date you received it.
How long does the drawer have to pay after the notice?
15 days from receiving the notice. Only after those 15 days pass without payment does the cause of action for the complaint arise.
Can a cheque bounce notice be sent by email or WhatsApp?
Written notice is what the law requires, and courts have accepted proof of notice by different modes in different cases. It is safer to send it by registered post AD or speed post and also by email, and to keep the proof of both.
Does the notice have to be drafted by an advocate?
The law only requires a written demand made by the payee. An advocate's notice is common because it is precise about dates and amounts, which matters in a criminal complaint.
Draft this with your own facts
BarristerX drafts notices, replies and petitions in English and Hindi from the details you enter, and keeps your court diary, clients, payments and follow-ups in one place.
This is general information and a sample format, not legal advice. Facts, amounts, dates and the applicable law differ from case to case. Adapt the text to your facts, and have an advocate review it before it is sent.