New Delhi:
Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi has been sentenced to two years in jail and fined Rs 2 crore by a local court in Gujarat’s Jamnagar over bounced cheques. The court has granted the filmmaker a 30-day stay to appeal the order.
The complainant, industrialist and shipping magnate Ashok Lal, had reportedly given Rs 1 crore as a loan to Mr Santoshi for a film project. The filmmaker wrote him 10 cheques of Rs 10 lakh each to repay the amount, Mr Lal said in his complaint.
However, when he went to encash the cheques, they bounced due to a lack of funds, Mr Lal claimed.
Mr Lal said he first tried to get in touch with the filmmaker when the cheques bounced. However, all his attempts failed following which he filed a lawsuit under the Negotiable Instruments Act, reported ANI.
Now, the court has sentenced the filmmaker to two years in jail and ordered him to pay Rs 2 crore to Mr Lal – double the amount he owes the businessman.
Rajkumar Santoshi is known for super-hit films like Ghayal, Ghatak, and Damini. His upcoming film “Lahore 1947” is being produced by Aamir Khan Productions and stars Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the lead roles.