Hike in court fees, ticket prices challenged

A significant hike in court fees and ticket prices has been legally contested in the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench. Advocate Umar Sohail Shah, has filed a petition challenging the amendment in the Punjab Finance Act, demanding that both the amendment and the fee hike be declared null and void. Additionally, a miscellaneous application seeks a stay order to suspend the fee and stamp price increases until the petition's resolution. The respondents named in the petition include the Punjab Government, the governor of Punjab, the chief minister, the chief secretary, and the secretary of law.

The petition argues that amendments to the Court Fees Act cannot be enacted under the Finance Act. It claims that the steep hike in court fees violates Articles 37 and 227 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which mandates the government to ensure immediate and affordable justice. The rise in costs for civil cases and certified copies is described as an obstruction to justice, effectively denying litigants their right to legal recourse.

The Federal Shariat Court has previously deemed the Court Fees Act unconstitutional. The petition highlights that the Quran and Sunnah advocate for the state to ensure access to immediate justice.

Consequently, the petition asserts that the amendments made by the Punjab Government to the Court Fees Act are both unconstitutional and un-Islamic.