Ahmedabad: With a change of jurisdiction for criminal courts in the city, the special courts for cheque return cases will hear only those complaints filed by financial institutions. Individual complainants will have to approach the regular criminal courts at Gheekanta.An office order issued by chief judicial magistrate (CJM) D H Khambhat on Wednesday states that due to enormous pendency of institutional complaints before special Negotiable Instruments Act courts, “it has become administratively necessary to rationalise the distribution of judicial business so as to ensure balanced allocation of work, effective utilisation of available judicial resources and expeditious disposal of cases”.The CJM withdrew the jurisdiction of 22 special courts for cheque return cases to hear cases filed by individuals. All complaints filed by private persons will be transferred to the regular criminal courts of judicial magistrate having regular jurisdiction over different police stations. From Aug 1, no complaint by a private individual will be heard by the special cheque return courts.The special courts will hear complaints filed by banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), financial institutions and any person or entity lawfully engaged in the business of providing finance or advancing loans.However, those cases filed by individuals that are being heard by special courts under the direction of higher court, or those cases that are at an advanced stage of trial, will continue to be heard by the special courts.
