Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 · Chapter IV: Of Negotiation · O f p r e s e n t m e n t
Section 64: Presentment for payment
In plain words
Notes, bills and cheques must be presented for payment to the maker, acceptor or drawee by or for the holder. If not, the other parties are not liable to the holder.
- Presentment by registered post is enough where agreement or usage allows it.
- A promissory note payable on demand and not at a specified place need not be presented to charge the maker.
- For a truncated cheque image, the paying bank can ask for more information if it reasonably suspects the cheque, and can ask for the physical cheque if it suspects fraud, forgery, tampering or destruction.
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
[(1)] Promissory notes, bills of exchange and cheques must be presented for payment to the maker, acceptor or drawee thereof respectively, by or on behalf of the holder as hereinafter provided. In default of such presentment, the other parties thereto are not liable thereon to such holder.
[Where authorized by agreement or usage, a presentment through the post office by means of a registered letter is sufficient.]
Exception.—Where a promissory note is payable on demand and is not payable at a specified place, no presentment is necessary in order to charge the maker thereof.
[(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in section 6, where an electronic image of a truncated cheque is presented for payment, the drawee bank is entitled to demand any further information regarding the truncated cheque from the bank holding the truncated cheque in case of any reasonable suspicion about the genuineness of the apparent tenor of instrument, and if the suspicion is that of any fraud, forgery, tampering or destruction of the instrument, it is entitled to further demand the presentment of the truncated cheque itself for verification:
Provided that the truncated cheque so demanded by the drawee bank shall be retained by it, if the payment is made accordingly.]
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 64
No Supreme Court judgment in our database cites this section yet.