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2022 (3) TMI 683 - HC - Indian LawsDishonor of Cheque - legally enforceable debt or not - rebuttal of statutory presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 - petitioner had been convicted for offences u/s 138 - HELD THAT:- It is a settled proposition of law that presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act is a presumption of law, as distinguished from a presumption of fact, such a presumption is a rebuttable presumption and the drawer of the cheque may dispel the same. The aforesaid position in law stands settled in the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the matter of Hiten P. Dalal Vs. Bratindranath Banerjee [2001 (7) TMI 1172 - SUPREME COURT]. It was, thus, held that the obligation on the prosecution may be discharged with the help of presumption of law or fact, unless, the accused adduces evidence showing reasonable possibility of the non-existence of the presumed fact. Thus, to say that if the facts required to form the basis of a presumption of law exist, there is no discretion left with the Court but to draw the statutory conclusion, but the same does not preclude the person against whom the presumption is drawn from rebutting it and proving the contrary. The rebuttal does not have to be conclusively established, but such evidence must be adduced in support of the defence that the Court must either believe the defence to exist or consider its existence to be reasonably probable, the standard of reasonability being that of the 'prudent man'. The law is thus well settled that in order to rebut the statutory presumption, an accused is not expected to prove his defence beyond reasonable doubt as is expected of the complainant in a criminal trial. The accused may adduce direct evidence to prove that the note in question was not supported by consideration and that there was no debt or liability to be discharged by him. The Court need not insist in every case that the accused should disprove the non-existence of consideration and debt by leading direct evidence because the existence of negative evidence is neither possible nor contemplated - To disprove the presumption, an accused should bring on record such facts and circumstances, upon consideration of which, the Court may either believe that the consideration and debt did not exist or that their non-existence was so probable that a prudent man, would under the circumstances of the case, act upon the plea that they did not exist. The petitioner having denied issuance of the cheque and having denied receipt of any money from the complainant or having any transaction with him coupled with the circumstances, the presumption of law under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act would not continue to exist against the accused-petitioner and the burden would shift upon the complainant to establish that the transaction in question had duly taken place and that the cheque had been issued to him in discharge of a legally enforceable debt - The failure to display prudence of an ordinary person and to establish his capacity to advance the sum to the petitioner give rise to a suspicion against presence of an enforceable debt against the petitioner and thus tilting the balance in favour of the accused. The burden lies on the complainant to prove his case against the accused, in whose favour, there is a presumption of innocence. The judgment passed by the Courts below are conjectural and are not based upon objective assessment of the material adduced on record. The Courts below have failed to take account of the shift of onus on the complainant to establish having advanced the money and that the cheque in question had been duly issued to him in discharge of the liability and to have proceeded solely on the basis of presumption under Section 139 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 ignoring all other circumstances. Petition allowed.
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