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[1] 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 ₹ 0.50.

For example:

• In vakalatnama , the Court Fee[2] and Legal Benefit Fund[3] must be paid in equal portions of ₹ 12.50 each.[4] However, due to the system’s limitations, ₹ 13 is being collected under each head.

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

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 courtfee 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.