'Accept cash for stamp papers to prevent scams'

 
In a report submitted to Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Commission chairman A R Laxmanan said, “These alternative modes of payment of court fee and non-judicial stamp duties would not only save the government huge costs of printing them and commission to stamp vendors, it would also prevent fraud and avoidable hassles to the public.”

Moved by the plight of the litigants and loss of huge revenue to the government because of the Telgi stamp paper scam, Justice Laxmanan said court fee amounts should be in round figures payable through demand drafts, bankers’ cheques, pay orders, money orders, postal orders, challans or even cash.

“Our country is carrying the unbearable load under the law enacted in 1870 and 1899 under the British rule, which provides for payment of stamp duty on instruments and court fee on documents to be filed in courts only in the form of adhesive stamps or stamped papers. These stamps and stamped papers are printed by the Central government in bulk, involving huge costs, sometime even spending more for a stamp worth only Re 0.50.

“Another reason is that the government is not alive to the fact that these Acts are anachronistic pieces of legislation. A ridiculously small amount of court fee, like a 50 naya paisa, is still required to be paid on some types of documents,” said the report.