Voluntary settlement in cheque-dishonour revisions is accepted and forms the basis for disposal.

The petitioners challenged judgments of conviction for offences under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in C.C. Nos. 57662/2022 and 57663/2022, as affirmed in appeals by the Sessions Court

During the revision proceedings, the parties entered into a mediation settlement.

In Crl.R.P. No. 401/2026, the petitioner undertook to withdraw the petition unconditionally.

In Crl.R.P. No. 400/2026, the petitioner agreed to pay a total settlement amount of ₹2.4 crore in ten instalments, in addition to ₹49,17,359 already deposited in specified proceedings.

The settlement also provided for an additional ₹30 lakh in the event of default and reserved the respondents’ right to take steps available under law.

Whether the parties’ mediation settlement was voluntary and lawful and could be accepted by the Court

Whether the connected revision petitions should be disposed of in terms of the settlement, including the undertaking to withdraw Crl.R.P. No. 401/2026 unconditionally

The revision petitions were invoked under Sections 397 and 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (stated in the petitions alongside the corresponding BNSS provisions), and concerned convictions under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.

The Court applied the principle that it may accept a voluntary and lawful settlement placed before it and dispose of proceedings in accordance with the parties’ agreed terms.

The order cites no precedent and does not set out or apply a separate substantive rule concerning the merits of the Section 138 convictions.

The Court considered the mediation settlement and recorded the parties’ agreed payment terms, including the instalment schedule, the no-extension provision, and the consequences of default.

Having found the settlement voluntary and lawful, the Court accepted it and disposed of both revision petitions on its terms.

The order does not revisit the evidence or determine the merits of the underlying convictions.

The petitioner in Crl.R.P. No. 401/2026 had undertaken to withdraw that petition unconditionally; the settlement in Crl.R.P. No. 400/2026 required payment of ₹2.4 crore in instalments, with the agreed default provisions.