Short answer
File a Section 138 complaint before the Metropolitan or Judicial Magistrate having jurisdiction over the branch of the bank where you (the payee) maintain the account into which the cheque was deposited (Section 142(2)(a)). The timeline is strict: notice within 30 days of the return memo, 15 days for the drawer to pay, complaint within one month after that.
Courts by city
| City | State | Courts | Detail page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad | Telangana | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at the City Criminal Courts complex, Nampally, for Section 138 complaints; City Civil Court, Hyderabad, and the Commercial Courts for recovery suits. | Hyderabad courts |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | Metropolitan Magistrate courts (Esplanade, Mazgaon, Andheri, Bandra, Kurla and others) for Section 138 complaints; City Civil Court and the Bombay High Court Commercial Division for high-value recovery suits. | Mumbai courts |
| Delhi | Delhi | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Saket, Karkardooma, Rohini, Dwarka and Rouse Avenue for Section 138; District Commercial Courts for recovery suits; the Delhi High Court for high-value matters. | Delhi courts |
| Bengaluru | Karnataka | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at the Mayo Hall and Nrupathunga Road court complexes for Section 138; City Civil Court and the Bengaluru Commercial Courts for recovery suits. | Bengaluru courts |
| Chennai | Tamil Nadu | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Egmore, George Town, Saidapet and Alandur for Section 138; City Civil Court and the Madras High Court Commercial Division for recovery suits. | Chennai courts |
| Kolkata | West Bengal | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Bankshall Court, Calcutta, and Alipore for Section 138; City Civil Court and the Calcutta High Court Commercial Division for recovery suits. | Kolkata courts |
| Pune | Maharashtra | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts at the Shivajinagar court complex for Section 138; District and Sessions Court, Pune, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Pune courts |
| Ahmedabad | Gujarat | Metropolitan Magistrate courts at the Gheekanta and Mirzapur court complexes for Section 138; City Civil Court, Ahmedabad, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Ahmedabad courts |
| Surat | Gujarat | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts at the Athwalines court complex for Section 138; District Court, Surat, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Surat courts |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | Metropolitan Magistrate courts, Jaipur, for Section 138; District and Sessions Court, Jaipur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Jaipur courts |
| Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | Chief Judicial Magistrate and Judicial Magistrate courts, Lucknow, for Section 138; District Court, Lucknow, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Lucknow courts |
| Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Kanpur Nagar, for Section 138; District Court, Kanpur Nagar, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Kanpur courts |
| Nagpur | Maharashtra | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Nagpur, for Section 138; District Court, Nagpur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Bombay High Court Nagpur Bench for high-value matters. | Nagpur courts |
| Indore | Madhya Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Indore, for Section 138; District Court, Indore, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Madhya Pradesh High Court Indore Bench for high-value matters. | Indore courts |
| Patna | Bihar | Judicial Magistrate courts at the Patna Civil Court complex for Section 138; District Court, Patna, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Patna courts |
| Nashik | Maharashtra | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Nashik, for Section 138; District Court, Nashik, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Nashik courts |
| Kochi | Kerala | Judicial First Class Magistrate courts, Ernakulam, for Section 138; District Court, Ernakulam, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Kerala High Court for high-value matters. | Kochi courts |
| Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | Metropolitan Magistrate courts, Visakhapatnam, for Section 138; District Court, Visakhapatnam, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Visakhapatnam courts |
| Vijayawada | Andhra Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Vijayawada, for Section 138; District Court, Krishna (Machilipatnam and Vijayawada), and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Vijayawada courts |
| Coimbatore | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Coimbatore, for Section 138; District Court, Coimbatore, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Coimbatore courts |
| Madurai | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Madurai, for Section 138; District Court, Madurai, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Madras High Court Madurai Bench for high-value matters. | Madurai courts |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala | Judicial First Class Magistrate courts, Thiruvananthapuram, for Section 138; District Court, Thiruvananthapuram, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Thiruvananthapuram courts |
| Thrissur | Kerala | Judicial First Class Magistrate courts, Thrissur, for Section 138; District Court, Thrissur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Thrissur courts |
| Kozhikode | Kerala | Judicial First Class Magistrate courts, Kozhikode, for Section 138; District Court, Kozhikode, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Kozhikode courts |
| Agra | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Agra, for Section 138; District Court, Agra, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Agra courts |
| Faridabad | Haryana | Judicial Magistrate courts, Faridabad, for Section 138; District Court, Faridabad, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Faridabad courts |
| Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Ghaziabad, for Section 138; District Court, Ghaziabad, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Ghaziabad courts |
| Noida | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts at Surajpur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, for Section 138; District Court, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Noida courts |
| Gurugram | Haryana | Judicial Magistrate courts, Gurugram, for Section 138; District Court, Gurugram, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Gurugram courts |
| Panipat | Haryana | Judicial Magistrate courts, Panipat, for Section 138; District Court, Panipat, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Panipat courts |
| Rajkot | Gujarat | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Rajkot, for Section 138; District Court, Rajkot, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Rajkot courts |
| Morbi | Gujarat | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Morbi, for Section 138; District Court, Morbi, and the Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Morbi courts |
| Ludhiana | Punjab | Judicial Magistrate courts, Ludhiana, for Section 138; District Court, Ludhiana, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Punjab and Haryana High Court for high-value matters. | Ludhiana courts |
| Vadodara | Gujarat | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Vadodara, for Section 138; District Court, Vadodara, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Vadodara courts |
| Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Bhopal, for Section 138; District Court, Bhopal, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Bhopal courts |
| Guwahati | Assam | Judicial Magistrate courts, Kamrup (Metro), Guwahati, for Section 138; District Court, Kamrup (Metro), and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Gauhati High Court for high-value matters. | Guwahati courts |
| Tiruppur | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Tiruppur, for Section 138; District Court, Tiruppur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Tiruppur courts |
| Erode | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Erode, for Section 138; District Court, Erode, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Erode courts |
| Bhubaneswar | Odisha | Judicial Magistrate courts, Bhubaneswar, for Section 138; District Court, Khurda at Bhubaneswar, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Orissa High Court (Cuttack) for high-value matters. | Bhubaneswar courts |
| Raipur | Chhattisgarh | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Raipur, for Section 138; District Court, Raipur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Chhattisgarh High Court (Bilaspur) for high-value matters. | Raipur courts |
| Ranchi | Jharkhand | Judicial Magistrate courts, Ranchi, for Section 138; District Court, Ranchi, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Jharkhand High Court for high-value matters. | Ranchi courts |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh | Judicial Magistrate courts at the Chandigarh District Courts, Sector 43, for Section 138; District Court, Chandigarh, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Punjab and Haryana High Court for high-value matters. | Chandigarh courts |
| Amritsar | Punjab | Judicial Magistrate courts, Amritsar, for Section 138; District Court, Amritsar, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Amritsar courts |
| Jalandhar | Punjab | Judicial Magistrate courts, Jalandhar, for Section 138; District Court, Jalandhar, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Jalandhar courts |
| Meerut | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Meerut, for Section 138; District Court, Meerut, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Meerut courts |
| Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Varanasi, for Section 138; District Court, Varanasi, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Varanasi courts |
| Jodhpur | Rajasthan | Judicial Magistrate courts, Jodhpur, for Section 138; District Court, Jodhpur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Rajasthan High Court principal seat for high-value matters. | Jodhpur courts |
| Udaipur | Rajasthan | Judicial Magistrate courts, Udaipur, for Section 138; District Court, Udaipur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Udaipur courts |
| Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) | Maharashtra | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, for Section 138; District Court and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Bombay High Court Aurangabad Bench for high-value matters. | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) courts |
| Kolhapur | Maharashtra | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Kolhapur, for Section 138; District Court, Kolhapur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Kolhapur courts |
| Mysuru | Karnataka | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Mysuru, for Section 138; District Court, Mysuru, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Mysuru courts |
| Mangaluru | Karnataka | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Mangaluru, for Section 138; District Court, Dakshina Kannada, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Mangaluru courts |
| Hubballi-Dharwad | Karnataka | Judicial Magistrate First Class courts, Hubballi and Dharwad, for Section 138; District Court, Dharwad, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits; the Karnataka High Court Dharwad Bench for high-value matters. | Hubballi-Dharwad courts |
| Salem | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Salem, for Section 138; District Court, Salem, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Salem courts |
| Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Tiruchirappalli, for Section 138; District Court, Tiruchirappalli, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Tiruchirappalli courts |
| Hosur | Tamil Nadu | Judicial Magistrate courts, Hosur, for Section 138; District Court, Krishnagiri, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Hosur courts |
| Guntur | Andhra Pradesh | Judicial Magistrate courts, Guntur, for Section 138; District Court, Guntur, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Guntur courts |
| Warangal | Telangana | Judicial Magistrate courts, Warangal, for Section 138; District Court, Warangal, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Warangal courts |
| Siliguri | West Bengal | Judicial Magistrate courts, Siliguri, for Section 138; District Court, Darjeeling at Siliguri, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Siliguri courts |
| Jamshedpur | Jharkhand | Judicial Magistrate courts, Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum), for Section 138; District Court, East Singhbhum, and its Commercial Court for recovery suits. | Jamshedpur courts |
The timeline, exactly
| Step | Time limit | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Present the cheque | Within 3 months of its date | 138 proviso (a) |
| Send written notice after the return memo | Within 30 days of receiving the memo | 138 proviso (b) |
| Drawer may pay | Within 15 days of receiving the notice | 138 proviso (c) |
| File the complaint | Within 1 month after those 15 days end | 142(1)(b) |
| Interim compensation | Court may order up to 20% of the cheque amount | 143A |
| Appeal deposit | Minimum 20% of fine or compensation | 148 |
Why FundRaksha runs Section 138 alongside a civil claim
A Section 138 complaint punishes the dishonour and usually brings the drawer to the table; the money itself is recovered through compensation under Section 357 CrPC / Section 395 BNSS, or through a parallel summary suit or MSME Samadhaan claim. Your dedicated advocate decides the combination in the free consultation. Nothing is charged upfront; 30% only on recovery.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-08. Information for Indian businesses; not legal advice.