A bounced cheque runs on a strict clock. Miss a date and a valid claim can be lost. Enter the date on your bank's cheque return memo and see every deadline that applies under Sections 138 and 142 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
This is the date your bank returned the cheque unpaid — not the date written on the cheque, and not the date you deposited it.
This changes your final deadline. If the notice comes back undelivered or is refused, the case must be filed sooner.
Nothing is submitted or stored — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.
Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 makes dishonour of a cheque an offence — but only if a strict sequence is followed. Each step feeds the next:
| Step | Time limit | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Present the cheque to the bank | Within 3 months | Date written on the cheque |
| Send the legal notice | Within 30 days | Receipt of the return memo |
| Drawer's window to pay | 15 days | Drawer receiving the notice |
| File the complaint in court | Within 1 month | Expiry of the 15-day window |
The one date people miss most is the 30-day notice deadline. Once it passes, a criminal complaint under Section 138 on that dishonour is generally no longer available — though if the cheque is still within its three-month validity, presenting it again can start a fresh cycle.
The same clock decides your position too — the 15-day window is your opportunity to pay, dispute, or settle before a criminal case begins.
What to do if you received a notice →Enter the date on the bank's cheque return memo (also called the dishonour memo or return advice), which is the slip your bank gives when the cheque is returned unpaid. The 30-day notice period runs from when you receive that memo, not from the date written on the cheque.
A criminal complaint under Section 138 for that particular dishonour is generally no longer available. However, if the cheque is still within three months of its date, it can be presented again — a fresh dishonour starts a fresh 30-day window. A civil suit to recover the underlying debt may also remain available. Take advice on your specific dates.
From the drawer's receipt of the notice. This is why notices are sent by registered post with acknowledgement due — the acknowledgement establishes the date from which the 15 days are counted.
Where the last day for filing falls on a day the court is closed, the filing can generally be made on the next working day. Do not plan around this — treat the calculated date as the deadline.
No. It applies the general timelines in the Negotiable Instruments Act to the date you enter, as a free public awareness tool. Individual cases turn on their own facts — postal delays, repeat presentations, disputed service of notice — so confirm your position with an advocate before acting.
Contacting the firm is your own initiative and creates no advocate–client relationship.
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