Kerala HC lawyers body plans to stage token protest on Wednesday against court fees hike

Kochi, April 5 (IANS) The Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) has planned to stage a token protest on Wednesday and file a writ petition challenging the recent hike in court fees in the state.

The meeting of the lawyers' body granted permission to call a token strike on Wednesday if all the bar associations of Kerala agree.

In 2024, the Kerala government had constituted a five-member Committee headed by retired Kerala High Court judge Justice V.K. Mohanan to study and suggest proposals for the revision of court fees so that the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959, can be amended as needed.

Based on the interim report of the Committee, the government had, in 2024, revised court fees for family court cases and cases that fall under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Petitions challenging the same are pending before the High Court.

In his budget speech delivered on February 7, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal noted that the hikes in court fees have been proposed, and the Finance Bill containing the new rates was passed in the state Assembly on March 25.

Following this, the changes in the fees announced in the budget speech came into effect on April 1.

The increase in court fees ranges from 500 per cent to over 6,500 per cent.

The only relief that came was when the court fees for filing habeas corpus and public interest litigation petitions before the High Court were left untouched.

Both the Bar Council of Kerala and the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association have also expressed their strong opposition to the increase in court fees.

The primary reason for the hike is the appalling financial position of the state government, and the hike in rates is not just in the judicial sector, but cuts across all the government services.

There has been a fresh hike in the electricity and water charges, which has come into effect from the new fiscal and it remains to be seen if there will be any relief.

--IANS

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