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Outdated concept of Oath-Commissioners and Notary-Public resulting in harassment to public
Kashmir Times. Dated: 6/24/2019 11:33:04 AM
Dear Editor,
Revenue-stamp is required for receipts of amounts for rupees 5000 or above even though payment is made through banks. This useless colonial practice at times results in signed receipts becoming useless in case gumming of revenue-stamps is not proper, because major portion of signature vanishes in case poorly gummed revenue-stamp is somehow removed from the signed receipt. Union government should do away with requirement of revenue-stamps for any receipt either by cash or through bank. If needed, special receipt-papers printed at Government Security- Printing-Press on lines of stamp-papers may be introduced at cost of say rupees one hundred for heavy transactions of say rupees 50000 and above. But such receipt-papers if introduced should be conveniently available at all post-offices and bank-branches (private and public-sector) apart from other convenient centres by having a sale-commission.
Union government should abolish Notary Public and Oath Commissioners who just authenticate documents for a fees without actually identifying authenticity of persons having signed the documents. Instead medical practitioners, lawyers, chartered-accountants etc apart from gazetted officers can be empowered to attest documents. Nobody knows difference between Notary-Public and Oath-Commissioner. Problem is multiplied by a flood of fake Oath-Commissioners and Notary-Public. Even many authorised Oath-Commissioners and Notary-Public duly registering authenticated documents in a register at times charge several hundred rupees instead of normal fees of just rupees thirty.
Colonial practice of having special legal-size paper for use in courts should also be abolished as per recommendations of Supreme Court appointed committee, as most photo-copiers used at homes and offices are equipped to copy papers of A-4 size or less. If necessary, court-papers can be in distinct colours like for example green papers are used at Madras High Court.
—Madhu Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk Delhi.