Kerala High Court stays revision of stamp duty for land transfer in Lakshadweep

Petitioner, a resident of Amini Island, contends that stamp duty for transfer of interest of landed property had been increased drastically

KOCHI The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed for three weeks the order of the Lakshadweep administration revising the stamp duty for transfer and registration of land on the islands. Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan passed the interim order on a petition filed by P.M. Mohammed Salih, a resident of Amini Island. According to him, the stamp duty for the transfer of an interest of the landed property had been drastically increased from 1% to 6% for females, 7% for a jointly owned property by male and female and 8% for others of the total valuation of the landed property. The stamp duty rate was 1% earlier and there was no division based on caste or gender. The fixation at a varying range was not based on an intelligible differentia.