धारा 17

When a bill of exchange is presented for acceptance or payment on a non-business day, the presenter is deemed to have presented the bill on the next preceding business day. As per Section 17 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, 'When the day on which a bill of exchange is presented for acceptance or payment falls on a Sunday or other public holiday, or on a day declared by the Central Government to be a public holiday, the bill shall be deemed to have been presented on the next preceding business day.' The effect of non-business days is to extend the time for acceptance or payment of the bill. The Madras High Court in the case of Indian Bank vs. R. S. Raghavan (1992) has held that the presenter is deemed to have presented the bill on the next preceding business day and that the time for acceptance or payment is extended accordingly.