UNNOTICED SCAM OF 50 PAISA IN THE JUSTICE DELIVERY SYSTEM.pdf

UNNOTICED SCAM OF RS. 50 PAISE IN THE PROCESS OF
DELIVERING JUSTICE

“Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized
robbery” -Calvin Coolidge-

Courts are considered as the pillars of justice,
entrusted with safeguarding and upholding the rights of the people.
However, in the District Court Management System (DCMS), it is not
possible to make a payment of 50 paise. In contrast, payment
applications such as Google Pay, PhonePe, and others allow
transactions of 50 paise without any issue.

As per the Coinage Act, 2011, 50 paise is still recognized as legal
tender. Specifically, Section 6 of the Coinage Act, 2011! provides:

S. 6(1) — The coins issued under the authority of Section 4 shall be
legal tender in payment or on account, in the case of:

(a) -----------
(b) A half-rupee coin, for any sum not exceeding ten rupees.

S. 6(2) — All new coins in the "naya paisa" series issued prior to the
Indian Coinage (Amendment) Act, 1964, shall continue to be legal
tender in payment or on account, in the _ case _ of:
(a) A half-rupee or fifty paise coin, for any sum not exceeding ten
rupees.

Despite this legal recognition, the DCMS lacks a mechanism to accept
50 paise payments. This creates an unjust situation where litigants
and lawyers are compelled to overpay, typically being forced to pay =1
instead of the required 20.50.

For example:

« In vakalatnama, the Court Fee? and Legal Benefit Fund? must
be paid in equal portions of 712.50 each.+ However, due to the
system’s limitations, 713 is being collected under each head.

« For copy applications, the relevant court fee is collected via the
DCMS portal.

. 8. 6 of the Coinage Act, 2011

. Schedule II, Article 12 of the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act.
. S. 76(2)(ii) of the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959.

. 2025 (4) J-72-74
According to Rule 248 of the Civil Rules of Practice, Kerala:

“Provided further that copying charges shall be called for and
supplied at the rate of 1.50 per page for photostat copies in the
shape of adhesive court-fee stamps.”

« Rule 118 of the Civil Rules of Practice prescribes that if a
search pertains to a document not older than 10 years, the fee is
50 paise.

« Similarly, Rule 235 of the Criminal Rules of Practice, Kerala
states:

“Provided that charges shall be called and supplied at the rate of
%1.50 per page for Photostat copy, in the form of adhesive court-
fee stamps.”

These provisions clearly demonstrate that Rs. 50 paise remains an
essential and legally prescribed component of court fee payments
under various statutes. Despite this, the DCMS, which is the official
digital platform for court fee and treasury payments, lacks the
functionality to process payments of Rs. 50 paise.

As per the records available in DCMS, about 56,412/- online Vakalths
are been filed as on 28-08-2025.5 From vakalath itself an unjust
amount of Rs. 56,412 is been levied to government treasury.

This discrepancy contradicts the very statutes the courts are bound to
uphold. While other digital platforms easily support sub-rupee
transactions, the judicial system’s own platform does not. As a result,
litigants and lawyers are compelled to overpay — a situation that
amounts to over charging.

Though the difference may seem trivial at just Rs. 50 paise, it is legally
and ethically significant. Since the amount is small, the issue often
goes unnoticed and unchallenged, allowing this unfair practice to
continue unchecked.

In a system dedicated to justice and fairness, even a single rupee
collected beyond the statutory mandate should be viewed as
unacceptable. The absence of a proper mechanism in the DCMS to
accept legally valid Rs. 50 paise payments needs urgent rectification.

5 https://filing.keralacourts.in/