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2023 Supreme(Raj) 2312

IN THE HIGH COURT OF RAJASTHAN
NUPUR BHATI, J.
Ram Sukh and Ors. - Petitioners
Versus
Smt. Sohni – Respondent
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 12387 of 2021
Decided On : 13-02-2023

Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioners: Mr. Vivek Sharma and Mr. V.D. Gaur.
For the Respondent: Mr. R.K. Karwasra and Mr. Dhanpat Chowdhary.

Headnote:(A) Rajasthan Stamps Act, 1998 - Section 39 - Admissibility of unstamped documents in evidence - The Court reiterated that instruments chargeable with duty must be duly stamped to be admissible; exceptions exist if proper duty is paid. (Paras 2, 6, 8)

(B) Legal principles of evidential admissions were addressed, emphasizing compliance with statute for document admissibility. (Paras 2, 4)

Facts of the case:
The petitioner sought to quash a lower court order rejecting an application regarding an unstamped patta, contending it was inadmissible in evidence. (Paras 1, 4)

Findings of Court:
The impugned order was quashed as the court did not consider key objections regarding the patta being unstamped. (Para 9)

Issues: The main issues were the admissibility of the unstamped document and whether the lower court correctly adjudicated the objections raised by the petitioner.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that the lower court erred by not considering the unstamped nature of the patta in its ruling, reaffirming that instruments must be stamped to be admissible.

Result: Writ petition allowed; order dated 11.08.2021 quashed.

Table of Content
1. requirement of proper stamping under section 39 (Para 1 , 2)
2. importance of judicial precedent on admissibility of evidence (Para 3 , 4 , 5)
3. court's observation on proper consideration of objections (Para 6 , 7 , 8)
4. final order quashing prior decision (Para 9 , 10)

ORDER :

(Nupur Bhati, J.)

This writ petition has been preferred by the petitioner claiming for following reliefs:-

    "a) By an appropriate writ, order or direction the impugned order dated 11.08.2021 (Annexure-8) passed by learned Civil Judge (J.D.) Jayal in Civil Suit No.06/2014 may kindly be quashed and set aside to the extent of rejecting the application.

    b) The application (Annexure-6) filed by the petitioner may kindly be allowed.

    c) Any other appropriate order or direction which this Hon'ble Court considers just and proper in the facts and circumstances of this case may kindly be passed in favour of the petitioner."

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner further submits that a bare perusal of Section 39 of Rajasthan Stamps Act, 1998 shows that no document can be admitted in evidence for any purpose by any person having by law or consent of parties to receive evidence unless such instrument/document is duly stamped however, there is a proviso to the Section 39 where certain exemptions have been laid down. He also submits that if the exemptions so provided in the Section 39 have been complied with then the patta in question could have been admitted in evidence and that the exemptions so provided in the Section 39 of the Act have not been fulfilled by the respondents and therefore, the patta in question could not have been admitted in evidence.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner places reliance upon the judgments passed by this Court and Jaipur Bench in the cases of Ramesh Chandra and Ors. v. Addl. District Judge No.1, Chittorgarh and Ors. in S.B. Civil Writ Petition No.4696/2016 decided on 16.05.2016, Harilal Chowdhary v. Addl. District and Session Judge No.2, Jaipur Metropolitan, Jaipur and Anr. in Civil Writ Petition No.6737/2013 decided on 10.12.2014, Vedprakash Rathor and Anr. v. Munshiram Jattav and Ors. in Civil Writ Petition No.6307/2019 decided on 01.11.2019, Batti Lal Meena v. Manmohan Meena and Ors. in Civil Writ Petition No.8508/2008 decided on 01.04.2019.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that there was a specific objection taken by the petitioner that the patta was not only unregistered but also unstamped and therefore, in such circumstances, the same was not admissible as evidence, however the learned Court below has considered only one aspect of the matter and the objection in regard to the document being unstamped has not been considered while dismissing the application of the petitioner.

5. Learned counsel for the petitioner placed reliance upon Section 39 of the Rajasthan Stamps Act, 1998 (hereinafter The Act of 1998).

    39. Instruments not duly stamped inadmissible in evidence, etc. -

    No instrument chargeable with duty under this Act shall be admitted in evidence for any purpose by any person having by law or consent of parties authority to receive evidence, or shall be acted upon, registered or authenticated by any such person or by any public officer, unless such instrument is duly stamped:

    Provided that,-

    (a) any such instrument shall, subject to all just exceptions, be admitted in evidence on payment of-

    (i) the duty with which the same is chargeable, or in the case of an instrument insufficiently stamped, of the amount required to make up such duty, and

    (ii) a penalty at the rate of two percent of the amount of the deficient duty per month or part thereof for the period during which the instrument remained insufficiently stamped or twenty five percent of the deficient stamp duty, whichever is higher, but such penalty shall not exceed to two times of the deficient stamp duty.

    (b) where a contract or agreement of any kind is effected by correspondence consisting of two or more letters and any one of the lett

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