In Brief
A complainant alleged that respondents forged a cheque worth Rs. 20,62,418 by entering the date and amount. The appellant was himself an accused in a Section 138 Negotiable Instruments Act proceeding regarding the same cheque. The Supreme Court held that the complaint lacked essential averments—specifically, it did not state that the appellant did not sign the cheque or did not hand it over to the respondents. Without such clear allegations, the complaint did not prima facie disclose forgery or related offences. The Court upheld the High Court's order quashing the criminal proceedings, holding that the appellant should have raised his defence (blank cheque given as security) in the original Section 138 proceeding, not through a collateral forgery complaint.
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