A reported shortage of Rs 10 and Rs 20 stamp papers in West Bengal has led to a public interest litigation in the Calcutta High Court, with the petitioner alleging that more than 25,000 papers were withdrawn from the market and sent to police stations without following required procedures.
The petition is expected to come up for hearing on Tuesday before a division bench led by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Justice Rabindra V Ghughe, according to Sangbad Pratidin. The report did not state whether the bench had already taken up the matter or issued any order.
The petition was filed by Surajit Mondal, who alleged that authorised stamp paper vendors had received an unwritten instruction from the administration. According to the petitioner’s allegations, stamp papers were subsequently removed from circulation and sent to police stations across the state.
The petitioner further alleged that ordinary Trinamool Congress workers were visited at their homes and made to sign on the stamp papers. These claims are allegations made in the court petition and have not been independently established in the supplied report.
Mondal has asked the High Court to direct the police to stop using stamp papers for the alleged activity. He has also sought the seizure of the stamp papers involved in the matter.
The petition raises questions about the chain of custody and legal use of government-issued stamp papers, which are commonly required for affidavits, declarations, agreements and other formal documentation. The report said the petitioner argued that stamp papers can be withdrawn only in accordance with specified legal procedures and that each paper is subject to registration.
According to the petitioner, the alleged withdrawals were not being recorded in the required registration process and were not being carried out in compliance with the law. If established, such a process could affect the reliability of official documentation and make it difficult to track the use of papers issued through authorised vendors.
The reported shortage also creates a direct access problem for citizens who need low-value stamp papers for routine legal and administrative work. The supplied report did not provide details of the locations affected, the duration of the shortage, the number of vendors reporting non-availability, or any official explanation from the state administration or police.
The next formal development is the possible hearing before the Calcutta High Court division bench. Any direction issued by the court, or response filed by the state authorities, will determine how the allegations regarding the stamp paper shortage, withdrawals and registration records are addressed.
