KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday upheld the State government’s decision to revise court fees, dismissing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association (KHCAA) that challenged the steep hike and the introduction of ad-valorem fees without an upper limit.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji ruled that the State legislature had the competence to amend the Kerala Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act, 1959, and that the revision was reasonable in view of inflation, rupee depreciation and the increased expenditure on the administration of justice.
“The revision of court fees has not taken place in Kerala for more than two decades. A broad correlation between the collection of court fees and the expenditure on administration of justice is all that is necessary. Mathematical exactitude is not required, ” the Bench observed.