Unit - 4 LPB - Negotiable Instruments
Unit - 4 LPB - Negotiable Instruments
Promissory notes are one of the legal documents or an instrument by which rights are
conferred and party promises to pay a certain or a fixed amount of money to another person at
a demand of the payee. A promissory note is unconditional as to other Instruments and is signed
by the maker.
2. Bills of Exchange:
It is Negotiable Instrument in form of a written promissory document for a person to
pay a certain amount of money to the required payee. Three Parties are here in the Bills of
Exchange as they are drawer, drawee and payee. It includes an unconditional order which is
signed by maker for directing a person to pay.
The Negotiable Instrument Act 1881 states Bill of Exchange as “an instrument in
writing containing an unconditional order, signed by the maker, directing a certain person to
pay a certain sum of only to, or to the order of, a certain person or to the bearer of the
instrument”.
Parties to a bill
a) Drawer: The person who gives the order to pay or who makes the bill is called the drawer.
b) Drawee: The person who is directed to pay is called the drawee. When the drawee accepts
the bill, he is called the acceptor.
c) Payee: The person to whom the payment is to be made is called the payee.
The drawer or the payee who is in the possession of the bill is called the holder. The
holder must present the bill to the drawee for its acceptance. When the holder endorses the bill,
note or cheque, he is called the endorser. The person to whom the bill, note or cheque is
endorsed is called the endorsee.
3. Cheques:
Cheque: Cheque is a negotiable instrument, it orders the bank to pay the certain amount
of money to the account of the drawer. Cheque basically crossed in its back to end its
negotiability and it is always accepted into the account of the payee.
A “cheque” is a bill of exchange drawn on a specified banker and not expressed to be
payable otherwise than on demand and it includes the electronic image of a truncated cheque
and a cheque in the electronic form.
A cheque is a bill of exchange drawn upon a specified banker and payable on demand
and it includes the electronic image of a cheque or a cheque in the electronic form. A cheque
in the electronic form means, “Cheque which contains the exact mirror image of a proper
cheque and is generated, written & signed in a secure system ensuring the minimum safety
standard with the use of digital signature”
A cheque is the species of a bill of exchange but it has the following two additional
qualifications:
a) It is always drawn on specified banker.
b) It is always payable on demand.
All cheques are bill of exchange but all bill of exchange are not cheque. A cheque must have
all the essential elements of a bill of exchange but it doesn’t require acceptance as it is intended
for immediate payment.
Essential Ingredients
1. Cheque to be drawn by a person,
2. To banker,
3. For payment of any amount of money to another person,
4. To discharge in part any debt or other liability,
5. Cheque returned by the bank unpaid,
6. Amount of the money in the bank a/c is insufficient to dishonour the cheque,
7. Or that it exceeds the amount arranged to be paid from that account by an agreement made
with that bank.
Exceptions:
1. The cheque has been presented to the bank within a period of three months from the date on
which it is drawn or within the period of its validity, whichever is earlier.
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2. The payee or the holder in due course of the cheque, as the case may be, makes a demand
for the payment of the said amount of money by giving a notice; in writing, to the drawer of
the cheque, [within thirty days] of the receipt of information by him from the bank regarding
the return of the cheque as unpaid.
3. The drawer of such cheque fails to make the payment of the said amount of money to the
payee or, as the case may be, to the holder in due course of the cheque, within fifteen days of
the receipt of the said notice.
Types of Cheque
1. Bearer Cheque
The words “or bearer” printed on the cheque, & it is not cancelled, then the cheque is called a
bearer cheque.
• A bearer cheque is made payable to the bearer i.e. it is payable to the person who presents it
to the bank for encashment.
• In simple words a cheque which is payable to any person who presents it for payment at the
bank counter is called ‘Bearer cheque’
2. Order Cheque
• The word "or order" is written on the face of the cheque, the cheque is called an order cheque.
• Such a cheque is payable to the person specified therein as the payee, or to any one else to
whom it is endorsed (transferred).
3. Open Cheque
• When a cheque is not crossed, it is known as an “Open Cheque” or an “Uncrossed Cheque”.
• These cheques may be cashed at any bank and the payment of these cheques can be obtained
at the counter of the bank or transferred to the bank account of the bearer.
• An open cheque may be a bearer cheque or an order cheque.
4. Crossed Cheque
• Crossed cheque means drawing two parallel lines on the left corner of the cheque with or
without additional words like “Account Payee Only” or “Not Negotiable”.
• A crossed cheque cannot be en-cashed at the cash counter of a bank but it can only be credited
to the payee’s account.
6. Post-Dated Cheque
• Cheque on which drawer mentions a date which is yet to come (future date) to the date on
which it is presented, is called post- dated cheque.
• For example – If a cheque presented on 10th Jan 2021 bears a date of 25th Jan 2021, it is a
post-dated cheque. The bank will make payment only on or after 25th Jan 2021.
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7. Stale Cheque:
• If a cheque is presented for payment after three months from the date of the cheque, it is
called stale cheque. After expiry of that period, no payment will be made by banks against that
cheque.
• A stale cheque is not honoured by the bank.
8. Mutilated Cheque
• When a cheque is torn into two or more pieces and presented for payment, such a cheque is
called a mutilated cheque.
The bank will not make payment against such a cheque without getting confirmation of the
drawer.
Crossing of Cheque:
Crossing of a cheque means "Drawing Two Parallel Lines" across the face of the cheque. Thus,
crossing is necessary in order to have safety. Crossed cheques must be presented through the
bank only because they are not paid at the counter. Crossing is a popular device for protecting
the drawer and payee of a cheque.
Object of Crossing Cheques:
Crossing is intended to ensure the safety of a cheque. The safety of a cheque is ensured by
crossing in the following two ways:
1. First, crossing makes it difficult for a wrong person (i.e., one who is not entitled to receive
payment of the cheque) to get the payment of a crossed cheque. A wrong person finds it
difficult to get the payment of a crossed cheque for the following reason. As a crossing is a
direction to the paying banker (i.e., the banker on whom the cheque is drawn) to pay the amount
of the crossed cheque to another banker, and not to the holder at the counter, the paving banker
will not pay the amount of the crossed cheque at the counter. Therefore, the Wrong person who
holds a crossed cheque has to get the amount through another banker. Another banker (i.e., the
collecting banker) will collect the amount of a crossed cheque only for a customer. Therefore,
the wrong person (who may not be the customer of the collecting banker) finds it difficult to
receive the payment of the crossed cheque. Thus, crossing ensures the safety of a cheque.
2. Secondly, crossing facilitates the tracing of the person who has received the payment of the
cheque. This traceability ensures the safety of the cheques.
2. Special Crossing:
The Indian Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 defines a special crossing as where a cheque
bears across its face an addition of the name of a banker with or without the words "not
negotiable", that addition shall be deemed a crossing and the cheque shall be deemed to be
crossed specially and to be crossed to that banker. Therefore special crossing means writing
across the face of a cheque the name of some banker with or without lines or words such
as "Not negotiable at 'Account Payee".
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Differences between a general Crossing and Special Crossing: The main differences
between general crossing and a special crossing are:
1. Two parallel transverse lines are essential for a general crossing But such lines are not
essential for a special crossing.
2. The words 'And Company may or may not be written in a general crossing. But these words
are not written in a special crossing
3. In the case of a general crossing, the name of the collecting banker in not Written on the
face of the cheque. But in the case of a special crossing, the name of the collecting banker must
be written on the face of the cheque.
4. The amount of a generally crossed cheque can be paid by the paying banker to any banker
But the amount of a specially crossed cheque should be paid by the paying banker only to the
banker named in the crossing or his agent for collection.
5. Special crossing makes a cheque more safe than general crossing.
6. Conversion of a generally crossed cheque into a specially crossed cheque does not amount
to material alteration. So, it does not require the drawer's confirmation for payment On the
other hand, conversion of a specially crossed cheque into a generally crossed cheque amounts
to material alteration So, it should not be paid without the drawer's confirmation.
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Material alteration
Material alteration means to make alter or change some material parts of the instrument and
try to make it a valid created with the purpose of the nature of that instrument.
Due to the effects of Material Alteration, the said instrument becomes a void. But one thing
we should know that a material alteration is different from filling up a blank cheque by the
payee or holder of the cheque.
But it is also noted that every change to make in a cheque it not mean a material alteration.
Only such type of changes that create negatively effect from another side it may be called
material alteration.
As per the provision under section 87 of the negotiable instrument act 1881, it’s clearly defined
that any material alteration of a negotiable instrument renders the same void which makes such
alteration without consent of first parties.
Examples of Material Alteration: No Act in India has specified as to what are material
alterations However, as per the banking custom, the following are considered material
alteration;
Alteration of the date of the cheque
Alteration of the sum payable.
Alteration of the place of payment
Alteration of the name of the payee.
Changing an order cheque into a bearer cheque by substituting the word ‘order’ by the word
"bearer".
Cancellation of the crossing on a cheque
Changing a specially crossed cheque into a generally crossed cheque.
Striking off the words "Not Negotiable" or "Account Payee from a general crossing or a
special crossing.
As the above alterations are not material alterations, they do not require the drawer's
confirmation So, cheques which contain such alterations can be paid by the paying banker
safety without insisting on drawee's confirmation.
Protection against Fraudulent Alteration:
As fraudulent alterations land the bankers and the customers in trouble, they should guard
themselves against such fraudulent alterations.
Generally the following precautions are taken by bankers to guard themselves against
fraudulent alterations
1. The cheque forms supplied by the bankers to their customers are prepared out of good quality
security paper which is sensitive to chemicals and will disclose fraudulent alterations, however
cleverly made with the help of chemicals
2. Most of the bankers use ultraviolet lamps for detecting fraudulent alterations made with the
help of chemicals. Ultraviolet lamps ate special lamps fitted with special bulbs to emit
ultraviolet rays. For the detection fraudulent alterations, cheques, especially cheques for large
amounts, are placed under these lamps. If a cheque contains any alterations made with the help
of chemicals, the cheque will indicate fluorescent shadow of lines in those areas of the cheque
where chemicals have been used. Thus, ultraviolet lamp help the detection of fraudulent
alterations.
Endorsement:
Endorsement and delivery is a mode of negotiating a negotiable instrument like cheque. A
negotiable instrument like cheque payable to order (i.e., payable to specified person or his
order) can be negotiated only by endorsement and delivery. So, it is necessary to have some
idea about endorsement.
The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, Sec 15, defines endorsement as “When the
maker or holder of a negotiable instrument signs the same, otherwise than as such maker, for
the purpose of negotiation, on the back or face thereof or on a slip of paper annexed thereto,
or so signs for the same purpose a stamped paper intended to be completed as a negotiable
instrument, he is said to indorse the same, and is called the “endorser”.
Parties:
1) Endorser: The person who endorses the instrument (i.e., the person who signs his name on
the back of the instrument for the purpose of transferring its property to another) is called the
“endorser”.
2) Endorsee: The person to whom the instrument is endorsed is called the “endorsee”
Effects of Endorsement:
When a negotiable instrument is endorsed and delivered by the endorser to the endorsee, he
(endorser) creates certain legal consequences. They are:
1. He transfers his right, interest, property or title in the instrument to the endorsee.
2. He certifies the genuineness of the instrument.
3. He also certifies that all prior endorsement are genuine.
4. He guarantees to the endorsee that he had good title to the instrument.
5. Endorsement conveys to the endorsee the right of further negotiation.
6. He undertakes to compensate every subsequent holder of the instrument in case of dishonor
or non-payment of the instrument which is presented strictly in accordance with its tenor.(It
should be noted that the endorser’s liability to the subsequent endorsees is that of a surety. But
to the immediate endorsee, he is also liable as a principal debtor).
Kinds of Endorsements:**
1. Blank or general endorsement
2. Endorsement in full or special endorsement
3. Restrictive Endorsement
4. Conditional Endorsement
5. Sans Recourse Endorsement
6. Facultative Endorsement
7. Sans Frais Endorsement
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