(a) any such instrument shall, subject to all just exceptions, be admitted in evidence on payment of, -
(i) the duty with which the same is chargeable, or in the case of an instrument insufficiently stamped, of the amount required to make up such duty, and
1[(ii) a penalty at the rate of two percent of the amount of the deficient duty per month or part thereof for the period during which the instrument remained insufficiently stamped or twenty five percent of the deficient stamp duty, whichever is higher, but such penalty shall not exceed to two times of the deficient stamp duty.]
(b) where a contract or agreement of any kind is effected by correspondence consisting of two or more letters and any one of the letters bears the proper stamp; the contract of agreement shall be deemed to be duly stamped.
(c) nothing herein contained shall prevent the admission of any instrument as evidence in any proceeding in a criminal court, other than a proceedings under chapter IX or Part D of Chapter X of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Act No. 2 of 1974).
(d) nothing herein contained shall prevent the admission of any instrument in any court when such instrument has been executed by or on behalf of the Government or where it bears the certificate of the Collector as provided by section 36 or any other provision of this Act.
(e) nothing herein contained shall prevent the admission of a copy of any instrument or of an oral account of the contents of any instrument, if the stamp duty or a deficient portion of the stamp duty and penalty as specified in clause (a) is paid.
(f) nothing herein contained shall prevent the admission of any instrument in evidence in any court when stamp duty on such instrument has already been paid in advance in the form of a consolidated lump sum.
(g) nothing herein contained shall prevent the admission of any instrument in any court when such document has been executed by or on behalf of the Government or where it bears the Certificate of the Collector as provided by section 36 or any other provision of this Act.
Source footnotes
1. Substituted by Rajasthan Finance Act, 2014 (Act No. 14 of 2014) (w.e.f. 14.7.2014)आगे पढ़ें / Continue reading
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Section 1 · Short title, extent and commencementSection 2 · DefinitionsSection 3 · Instrument chargeable with dutySection 4 · Payment of stamp duty in cashSection 5 · Several instruments used in single transaction of sale, mortgage, agreement or any other document (memorandum etc.) relating to the deposit of title deeds or settlementSection 6 · Instrument relating to several distinct mattersSection 7 · Instruments coming within several descriptions in the ScheduleSection 8 · Payment of duty on copies, counterparts or duplicates when that duty has not been paid on the principal or original documentIndia Code, Government of India. Text fetched 24 Oct 2026. Check the linked official text and subsequent notifications when applying a provision.