Until now, filing petitions under Seciton 7(1)(c) of the Family Courts Act cost ₹50 and filing cheque bounce cases under the NI Act cost ₹10 as court fees.
However, the Kerala Finance Bill, 2024 has proposed certain amendments to the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959 with respect to change in court fees in these categories of cases.
If the Bill is passed by the Legislative Assembly, litigants approaching courts with such cases will have to pay fees that are proportionate to the claim made in their suits.
Even though the bill has not been passed, the tax proposals in the Bill will have effect from April 1, 2024 in accordance with the provisions under the Kerala Provisional Collection of Revenues Act, 1985. A declaration to that effect is also made in the Bill.
Therefore, by an office memorandum dated April 2, the Registrar General of the Kerala High Court directed the courts concerned to collect the revised court fees in these categories of cases in accordance with the amendments proposed.
Source: Barandbench
