Delhi HC issues notice in plea seeking rules for one-time Court Process Fee [Read Petition]

The Delhi High Court has issued notice in a plea seeking preparation of draft rules and regulations for the filing of a one-time Court Process Fee with the Registry..Notice was issued to the Delhi government and the Registrar General of the High Court by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V Kameswar Rao..The Court has directed the respondents to file their response to the plea within three weeks..The public interest petition preferred by Legal Forum for Women Empowerment also seeks a direction to the Delhi government to bring a legislation in this regard, at the earliest..Filed through Advocate Payal Bahl, the petition claims that the payment of process fee multiple times troubles the litigants as well as the advocates. It further states that due to non-filing of process fee in time, cases also get delayed for want of service to the person concerned..“It is submitted that the Court fees chargeable on the court Processes and which is to be exhibited in each court proceedings….This anachronistic court Process fee rule stymies the justice Process as the Court Process cannot proceed without the Payment of court fee (Talbana). The Preparation and issue of Processes are forestalled by the mere non – payment of few rupees which eventually adds a non-productive step to the justice delivery system.”.The petition further states that it is “really unthinkable” that a large section of litigants and advocates in Delhi as well as at the national level are “deprived of basic amenities and protection in filing one-time Process fee by them“..It thus seeks a direction to the Delhi High Court through its Registrar General to have a re-look at its Court Process Fee (Talbana) Rules to address the “plight of the litigants due to archaic Court Rules“..Hence, the petitioner has suggested that a nominal court fee – as deemed fit by the appropriate authorities after due consultation with all the stakeholders – be collected upfront from the litigants at the time of filing cases in the court..Read the Petition: