A court here on Monday imposed a cost of Rs.15 lakh on the Congress MP from Moradabad, Mohammed Azharuddin, for wasting judicial time and showing “utter disdain” by not appearing before it in a cheque dishonour case.
Though Mr. Azharuddin arrived at an out-of-court settlement with complainant Sanjay Solanki, he incurred the wrath of Metropolitan Magistrate Vikrant Vaid, who had to issue a non-bailable warrant (NBW) twice to coerce the former Indian cricket captain to finally appear before him.
A cost of Rs.1 lakh was also imposed on a person who had submitted a bond and surety to ensure Mr. Azharuddin's appearance in court. Both parties informed the court that they had amicably settled the matter, though the amount was not disclosed.
Mr. Solanki, in his complaint, had alleged that he had paid Rs.1.5 crore as advance payment for a piece of Mr. Azharuddin's property valued at Rs.4.5 crore, but the deal fell through.
When Mr. Solanki sought a refund, he claimed that Mr. Azharuddin thrice gave him cheques which were dishonoured by the bank concerned.
Imposing the Rs.15 lakh costs, the magistrate relied on a Supreme Court ruling, which held that a magistrate had discretion to impose a cost of 10 per cent of the amount of bounced cheque, if satisfied that the accused had wasted court time.
