NON JUDICIAL STAMP PAPERS EXPIRY
Most of time a question is asked what is expiry of an stamp paper. Is it six month or less? But, there is no such expiry prescribed in Indian Stamp Act which is discussed in following case also. SOURCE OF CONFUSION: The Trial Court and the High Court have doubted the genuineness of the agreement dated 5.1.1980 because it was written on two stamp papers purchased on 25.8.1973 and 7.8.1978. The learned counsel for the first respondent submitted that apart from raising a doubt about the authenticity of the document, the use of such old stamp papers invalidated the agreement, as the stamp papers used in the agreement of sale were more than six months old, they were not valid stamp papers and consequently, the agreement prepared on such 'expired' papers was also not valid. WHAT COURT DECIDED Apex Court held that that the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 nowhere prescribes any expiry date for use of a stamp paper. Section 54 merely provide that a person possessing a stamp paper f