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1

REVENUE AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT

Mantralaya, Madam Cama Marg, Hutatma Rajguru Chowk,

Mumbai 400 032, dated the 9th February 2021.

MAHARASHTRA ORDINANCE No. I OF 2021.

AN ORDINANCE

further to amend the Maharashtra Stamp Act.

WHEREAS both Houses of the State Legislature are not in session;

AND WHEREAS the Governor of Maharashtra is satisfied that

circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate

action further to amend the Maharashtra Stamp Act, for the purposes

hereinafter

appearing;

LX of

1958.

In pursuance of clause (3) of article 348 of the Constitution of India,

the following translation in English of the Maharashtra Stamp (Amendment

and Validation) Ordinance, 2021 (Mah. Ord. I of 2021), is hereby published

under the authority of the Governor.

By order and in the name of the Governor of Maharashtra,

BHUPENDRA M. GURAO,

I/C. Secretary (Legislation) to Government,

Law and Judiciary Department.

(Translation in English of the Maharashtra Stamp (Amendment and

Validation) Ordinance, 2021 (Mah. Ord. I of 2021), published under the

authority of the Governor).

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(1)

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NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause

(1) of article 213 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Maharashtra

is hereby pleased to promulgate the following Ordinance, namely:—

1. This

Ordinance

may

be

called

the

Maharashtra

Stamp

(Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2021.

(2) It shall come into force at once.

2. For section 5 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act (hereinafter referred

to as “the principal Act”), the following section shall be substituted

and shall be deemed to have been substituted with effect from the

11th August 2015, namely:—

“5. Any instrument comprising or relating to several distinct

matters or transactions shall be chargeable with the aggregate

amount of the duties with which separate instruments, each

comprising or relating to one of such matters or transactions, would

be chargeable under this Act.”.

3. In SCHEDULE I appended to the principal Act,—

(a) in article 6,—

(i) in clause (1), in sub-clause (b), in column (2), for the

figures and words “0.2 per cent. of” the figures and words

“0.3 per cent. of” shall be substituted;

(ii) in clause (2), in sub-clause (b), in column (2), for the

figures and words “0.2 per cent. of” the figures and words

“0.3 per cent. of” shall be substituted;

(iii) after clause (2), the following clause shall be added,

namely:—

“(3) The instrument falling

Five hundred rupees.”;

under this article when

executed as a collateral or

auxiliary or additional

security and where the

proper duty has been paid

on the Principal or Primary

security under this article.

(b) in article 40, for clause (b), the following clause shall

be substituted, namely:—

“(b) when possession is not

given or agreed to be given as

aforesaid,—

(i) if the amount secured by

0.1 per cent. of the

such deed does not exceed

amount secured by

rupees five lakhs,

such deed, subject to

minimum of one

hundred

rupees;

(ii) in any other cases,

0.3 per cent. of the

amount secured by

such deed, subject to

maximum of ten lakh

rupees;”.

Short title and

commencement.

Substitution of

section 5 of LX

of 1958.

LX of

1958.

Instuments

relating to

several distinct

matters or

transactions.

Amendment of

SCHEDULE I of

LX of 1958.

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4. (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any judgement, decree

or order of any court to the contrary or in the principal Act, stamp

duty assessed, levied and collected, including any action taken in

pursuance of such assessment, levy and collection by the authorities

under the said Act, acting or purporting to act under the provisions

of section 5 and articles 6 and 40 in the Schedule I to the principal

Act shall be deemed to have been validly levied and collected in

accordance with law as if the provisions of the said section 5 and

articles 6 and 40, as amended by the Maharashtra Stamp (Amendment

and Validation) Ordinance, 2021 (hereinafter in this section referred

to as “the Amendment Ordinance”) had been continuously in force at

all material time and accordingly,—

(a) all actions, proceedings or things done or taken by the

authorities under the principal Act in connection with the levy

and collection of the stamp duty shall for all purposes, be deemed

to have been done or taken in accordance with the provisions

of the principal Act;

(b) no suit or other proceedings shall be maintainable or

continued in any court, against the said authorities for the refund

of the stamp duty so levied and collected;

(c) no court or any other authority shall enforce any decree

or order directing the refund of the stamp duty so levied or collected.

(2) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that nothing

in sub-section (1) shall be construed as preventing a person,—

(a) from questioning in accordance with the provisions of the

principal Act as amended by the Amendment Ordinance, any

assessment, reassessment, levy or collection of stamp duty referred

to in sub-section (1), or

(b) from claiming refund of any stamp duty paid by him under

the principal Act, in excess of the amount due from him by way

of stamp duty under the principal Act, as amended by the Amendment

Ordinance.

Validation.

Mah.

Ord. I of

2021.

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STATEMENT

Section 5 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act (LX of 1958) (hereinafter

referred to as “the said Act”) provides that any instrument comprising

or relating to several distinct matters shall be chargeable with the

aggregate amount of the duties with which separate instruments, each

comprising or relating to one of such matters, would be chargeable

under that Act. Section 5 of the Gujarat Stamp Act, 1958, as amended

in the year 2007, covers instrument comprising of or relating to distinct

transactions also, which has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court

in its judgement dated the 11th August 2015 in Civil Appeal No. 6054

of 2015. The Bombay High Court has, while interpreting section 5

of the said Act, in Writ Petition No. 8014 of 2019, vide its order

dated the 11th September 2019, held that the phrase ‘distinct matters’

appearing therein is equivalent to the phrase ‘distinct transactions’.

In order to bring clarity in the provisions of said section 5 about

charging stamp duty in respect of any instrument comprising or relating

to several distinct transactions, the section 5 of the said Act is proposed

to be amended, suitably, to specifically include “distinct transactions”

therein, on the lines of the amendment made in the Gujarat Stamp

Act, 1958.

2. The stamp duty in respect of an instrument evidencing mortgage

by deposit of the title deeds and simple mortgage deed is chargeable

as per articles 6(1) and 40 in Schedule I of the said Act, respectively.

The stamp duty chargeable on the instruments under said article 6(1)

is less than that chargeable under said article 40.

From the documents registered during the period from the year

2013 to 2019, it is noticed that number of documents evidencing mortgage

by deposit of title deeds are increasing.

Due to the difference in charging stamp duty, sometimes

documents are drafted in such a way that, even though the nomenclature

of the document indicates mortgage by deposit of title deed, it attempts

to cover simple mortgage. Such documents creates difficulties in

adjudication of amount of proper stamp duty chargeable for them under

the said Act.

With a view to enable execution of agreement relating to mortgage

by deposit of title deeds, certain towns are notified by the State of

Maharashtra, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (f) of section

58 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882 (4 of 1882), from time to

time. However, due to increase in transactions, a need is felt to notify

new towns for the purposes of clause (f) of the said section 58. Where

a town is not notified under the said clause (f), the citizens are burdened

to opt for execution of simple mortgage deed instead of mortgage

by deposit of title deeds for which the stamp duty chargeable under

the said Act is more.

In view of the above, it is considered expedient to bring uniformity

in stamp duty chargeable on the instruments of mortgage by deposit

of title deeds and simple mortgage deed under the said articles 6

and 40, respectively. For that purpose, the said articles 6 and 40

in Schedule I appended to the said Act are proposed to be amended,

suitably.

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3. As both Houses of the State Legislature are not in session

and the Governor of Maharashtra is satisfied that circumstances exist

which render it necessary for him to take immediate action further

to amend the Maharashtra Stamp Act (LX of 1958), for the purposes

aforesaid, this Ordinance is promulgated.

Mumbai,

BHAGAT SINGH KOSHYARI,

Dated the 5th February 2021.

Governor of Maharashtra.

By order and in the name of the Governor of Maharashtra,

DR. NITIN KAREER,

Additional Chief Secretary to Government.

ON BEHALF OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATION, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DIRECTOR, RUPENDRA DINESH MORE, PRINTED

AT GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, 21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD, MUMBAI 400 004 AND PUBLISHED AT DIRECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT

PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATIONS, 21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD, MUMBAI 400 004 EDITOR : DIRECTOR,

RUPENDRA DINESH MORE.