The Punjab government has substantially increased court fees and stamp duties throughout the province. Under the Punjab Finance Act 2024, court-related fees have surged dramatically, with increases ranging from 500 per cent to 1000 per cent, Ajj news has reported.
For example, fees for civil and criminal petitions have risen from Rs2 to Rs500, the cost for transferring cases has jumped from Rs5 to Rs500, and requesting court records has also seen a significant increase, from Rs2 to Rs500. Similarly, filing a memorandum of appeal, claim, or supervision has escalated from Rs15 to Rs500. Additionally, civil and criminal lawyers who previously paid Rs2 per ticket are now required to pay Rs100, and other tickets that once cost between Rs5 and Rs15 have now been raised to Rs500.
For cases with undetermined claim amounts, ticket prices have surged from Rs2 to Rs500, and clients are now charged Rs1000 for a ticket. This sharp increase is likely to impact clients’ ability to file claims under consumer laws.
