The Kerala Advocates' Welfare Fund Act establishes a fund to provide social welfare benefits to advocates, including retirement benefits after five years of practice, funded by various sources such as enrolment fees, subscriptions, donations, grants, and notably, revenue from the sale of Welfare Fund Stamps. (!) (!) (!) Section 23(1) mandates that every member of the Fund must affix one such stamp (valued at Rs. 2/-) on every vakalath filed by them, and no court, tribunal, or authority may receive an unstamped vakalath from a member. (!) (!) (!) This requirement applies even to joint vakalaths signed by multiple advocates, as each signing advocate who is a member is considered to be filing their own vakalath, necessitating a separate stamp per member. (!) (!) (!) (!) The stamp value cannot be recovered as costs from the client, and violations may lead to loss of Fund benefits and Bar Council action. (!) Courts may accept unstamped vakalaths from non-members if accompanied by a declaration to that effect. (!) This stamp obligation supports the Act's welfare goals by augmenting Fund revenue, which should be interpreted liberally rather than restrictively as in fiscal statutes. (!) In the scenario presented, where five advocates filed a joint vakalath with only one stamp and no non-membership declarations, four additional stamps were required to proceed. (!) (!) A vakalath authorizes advocates to act under procedural rules (e.g., CPC Order III Rule 4), remains effective until revoked or terminated, and must be filed for each advocate to appear. (!) (!) (!) (!)