Arbitrary court fee hike angers litigants

An increase in the cost of court tickets has sparked outrage among the complainants and applicants visiting different courts in the Rawalpindi district. The District Bar Association (DBA) has also vehemently opposed the hike. The previous court tickets valued at Rs2, Rs4, Rs5, and Rs10 respectively have been completely discontinued and replaced by a single ticket priced at Rs500.

In the courts of Magistrates, Assistant Commissioners (ACs), and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Revenue, a simple procedure was in place for filing applications related to various legal matters. Applicants could submit their applications on plain paper, accompanied by a ticket of Rs2, Rs5, or Rs10, depending on the nature of the application.

However, this process has undergone a significant change. The old ticket system has been abolished and a new mandate requires applicants to attach a ticket of Rs500 to their applications. This change applies to the filing of new cases in family and civil courts as well as the submission of new miscellaneous applications in pending cases. Previously, a ticket of Rs10 was sufficient for these purposes, but now a Rs500 ticket is required. This new addition is implemented immediately.

Citizens and applicants who previously filed applications in courts and revenue officers' courts by attaching tickets of Rs2, Rs5, and Rs10 for various issues are now facing rejection due to the increased ticket prices. This has led to widespread frustration, particularly among poor citizens and women who travel from distant areas to access the district court. Many are expressing their discontent and cursing the government for the significant price hike.

Syed Intizar Mehdi Shah, the President of the District Bar Association, strongly condemned the increase in court tickets, labelling it a "cruel move."

He argued that instead of providing relief, the Punjab Chief Minister is exacerbating the struggles of the poor. Shah emphasised that justice should not be made expensive and difficult to access. “The abrupt hike from a nominal fee of Rs2, Rs4, Rs5, or Rs10 to a staggering Rs500 is excessively harsh and should be immediately revoked.”