Ramesh who lives in Dwarka recently went to a notary in the District Court Janakpuri in order to renew his rent agreement. The notary handed him a document signed and stamped. But it did not seem familiar. Unlike the previous year, it was not a government stamp paper. It appeared like a normal paper, printed in the laser printer lying on the wire-cramped, cumbersome counter. But it had a Government of India emblem printed.
"Sir, what's this?" asked Ramesh, perplexed. "It doesn't look like a stamp paper, does it?"
"It's your rent agreement on the e-stamp paper. Now all stamp papers will be produced online and can be printed on normal paper like this one," explained the notary.
That is true. The Delhi government has introduced electronic-stamping facility in all the district counts and has done away with stamp papers of all denominations. Delhi is the first state to introduce e-court fee in all its district courts.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit recently unveiled the e-stamp facility and announced it officially. "The e-stamp system was first introduced in Delhi High Court in November, 2012. It was later completed in all six district courts within three weeks," says Dikshit, while lauding the achievement.
The new system is expected to ensure hassle-free transactions and prevent fraudulent practices. According to the chief minister, this is a major step to modernize the judicial system and make Delhi an e-governed state. The system enables the public and lawyers to get a court free receipt of exact denominations, irrespective of the amount. Hence it makes the entire process of remitting court fee entirely paper-free.