Shortage of judicial stamps halts case filing

High Court, District Bar Associations express strong concern over situation

RAWALPINDI:

The unavailability of judicial stamps (court tickets) has brought the filing of new cases and the issuance of certified copies of case documents to a complete standstill. The High Court and District Bar Associations have expressed strong concern over the situation.

For the past 10 days, judicial tickets of Rs10, Rs20, Rs50, and Rs100 have not been available in district and tehsil courts across Rawalpindi Division, including Rawalpindi District Court. Stamp vendors are repeatedly visiting the district treasury with filled challan forms to obtain the tickets, but the treasury has refused to accept payments for these forms, halting the supply process altogether.

Initially, at the onset of the shortage, judicial stamps were being sold at double their original price. Now, stocks have completely run out at most stamp vendor outlets. Some vendors in the inner city who still have limited stock are no longer selling them locally; instead, they are bringing them to the courts and selling them at inflated rates—Rs10 stamps for Rs50, Rs20 for Rs60, Rs50 for Rs120, and Rs100 stamps for Rs200.

The functioning of the District Courts is practically paralysed without judicial tickets. These tickets are mandatory for filing new civil or family cases, and are also required to obtain certified copies of any case or record.

All types of miscellaneous applications in court also require these tickets. Due to the shortage, the filing of a large number of new civil and family cases has been delayed.