Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 · Chapter XIII: S P E C I A L R U L E S O F E V I D E N C E
Section 120: Estoppel against denying original validity of instrument
In plain words
In a suit by a holder in due course, the maker of a note, the drawer of a bill or cheque, and an acceptor for the drawer's honour cannot deny the instrument's validity as originally made.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
No maker of a promissory note, and no drawer of a bill of exchange or cheque, and no acceptor of a bill of exchange for the honour of the drawer shall, in a suit thereon by a holder in due course, be permitted to deny the validity of the instrument as originally made or drawn.
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 120
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.