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2025 Supreme(Ker) 2462
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
V.G. ARUN, J.
S. Padmaja Devi - Appellant
Versus
Vidhya W/o Biju S. - Respondent
Crl. M.C. Nos. 9186, 9225 of 2024
Decided On : 30-06-2025
For the Appellants : Aum Mangalasserry, C.R. Vijayakumaran Pillai, Surya Mohan P.
For the Respondents: M.C. Ashi, Pushpalatha M.K.
Court fees must be paid according to the applicable rates on the date of actual electronic filing, and discrepancies in filing dates can lead to rejection of complaints per legislative provisions.
Headnote:(A) Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 - Sections 138 and 142 - Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959 - Payment of court fees at pre-enhanced rates - Complainants e-filed complaints asserting dates before the effective date of the new Finance Act - Court records confirm e-filing occurred after new rates took effect - Trial court justified in rejecting complaints for non-payment of fees. (Paras 1-4)
(B) Electronic Filing Rules for Courts (Kerala), 2021 - Rule 13(2) - Date of electronic filing is crucial for determining limitation periods - Petitioners' assertion contradicted by official reports, establishing correct filing date. (Paras 3-4)
Facts of the case:
Petitioners filed complaints under the Negotiable Instruments Act before the effective date of the Kerala Finance Act, claiming entitlement to pre-enhanced court fees but were reported to have filed after the new rates took effect.
Findings of Court:
The trial court's rejection of the complaints was justified due to non-payment of the requisite enhanced court fees as per legal provisions.
Issues: Key issues dealt with the validity of the e-filing dates and the applicability of the new court fee rates.
Ratio Decidendi: The court affirmed that the effective filing date as recorded in official reports determines the applicable court fee rates, hence affirming the trial court's decision.
Result: Crl.M.C. dismissed.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. filing dates for court fee determination (Para 1) |
| 2. dispute over e-filing dates and court fee (Para 2) |
| 3. rules for electronic filing and limitations (Para 3) |
| 4. court fee obligation as per amendments (Para 4) |
ORDER :
1. The petitioners in these Crl.M.Cs had filed CMP Nos.2116 of 2024 and 2121 of 2024 under Section 138 read with 142 of the Negotiable Instruments Act before the Judicial Magistrate of First Class-I, Neyyattinkara. According to the complainants, they had e-filed the complaints on 30.03.2024, before the Kerala Finance Act of 2024 came into effect on 01.04.2024, and are therefore entitled to pay court fees at the pre-enhanced rates. On the other hand, the court below held that the complaints were e- filed only on 03.04.2024 and insisted on payment of court fees at the enhanced rate. As the petitioners failed to pay the court fees, in spite of granting opportunity, the complaints were rejected. Aggrieved, the Criminal Miscellaneous Cases have been filed.
2. Learned counsel for the petitioners asserted that the complaints were e-filed on 30.03.2024 and produced Annexure A1, claiming it to be the e-filing records of the court. In view of the assertion, reports were called from the jurisdictional Magistrate. In the report thus filed, the learned Magistrate has stated that, as per the entries in the e-filing portal, the complaints were received only on 03.04.2024. The e-filing number of the CMPs are also mentioned in the report. It is also reported that the complaints were physically filed on 01.04.2024. For the sake of clarity, the filing details were obtained through the NIC and I.T. Technical Cell of the High Court. The I.T.Technical Cell, in turn, obtained a report from the SSO, District Court, Thiruvananthapuram, as per which also the complaints were e-filed on 03.04.2024.
3. The Electronic Filing Rules for Courts (Kerala), 2021 governs the procedure for e-filing of cases before the High Court and the Subordinate Courts. As per Rule 13(2), the date of electronic filing for computation of period of limitation shall be taken as the date when the action is electronically received in the Registry within the time(Indian Standard Time) prescribed under the relevant Act/Rules and Orders issued from time to time. It is thus clear that the relevant date, as far as e- filing is concerned, is the date on which the action is electronically received in the Registry.
4. Here, the Magistrate as well as the competent officers have stated in unison that the complaints were physically filed on 01.04.2024 and the electronically filed complaints were received on 03.04.2024. The legal position that court fee is to be paid in accordance with the existing provisions needs no reiteration. The provision in existence as on the date of filing of the complaints by the petitioners, physically as well as electronically, was the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act as amended by the Finance Act, 2024. As such, the petitioners were bound to pay court fees at the enhanced rate.
The petitioners having failed to remit the court fees accordingly, the trial court was fully justified in rejecting the complaints.
For the aforementioned reasons, the Crl.M.C. are dismissed.
