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1928 DIGILAW 105 (ALL)

Ali Mohammad v. Jagannath Prasad

1928-04-16

DALAL

body1928
JUDGMENT Dalal, J. - A suit instituted on 5th January, 1927, was alleged to be within time by reason of an acknowledgment of 15th March, 1925 The question then arose whether that acknowledgment was admissible in evidence. It was executed in the Gwalior territory at Ujjain and a one anna stamp of the Gwalior State affixed thereto. The account book was produced in British Court at Cawnpore on 5th January, 1927, but not stamped till more than three months afterwards. u/s 18 of the Stamp Act every instrument chargeable with duty executed out of British India and not being a Bill of Exchange, cheque or promissory note, may be stamped within three months after it has been first received in British India. In the present case the stamp duty was not paid within time and u/s 35 of the Act the acknowledgment shall not be admitted in evidence for any purpose by any Court of Law. The proviso as to payment of the duty and penalty does not apply as the instrument was chargeable with a duty of one anna only. 2. The learned Counsel for the plaintiff applicant referred to the case of Amina Begam v. Nawab of Rampur 10 Ind. Cas. 247 : 8 A.L.J. 566 : 33 A. 571. In that case an unstamped promissory note was admitted in evidence, because under the law of Rampur no stamp duty was leviable. Subsequently when produced in a British Court it was duly stamped according to British Law. For one thing, the document was a promissory note to which Section 19 of the Act would apply and not Section 18. There is no statutory period of three months in cases falling u/s 19. In the ruling cited there was no discussion as to stamp duty leviable in British India. When the promissory note was sued upon, the stamp duty of British India was affixed thereon. As the acknowledgment was not admissible in evidence, the suit was time-barred and was rightly dismissed. 3. The next argument was that some of the items of account were within time from the date of the institution of the suit. The lower Court, however, stated that no attempt was made to prove those separate items. A statement in the written statement was placed before this Court. That statement however, did not amount to an admission of the items of account mentioned in the plaint. The lower Court, however, stated that no attempt was made to prove those separate items. A statement in the written statement was placed before this Court. That statement however, did not amount to an admission of the items of account mentioned in the plaint. 4. I dismiss the application with costs.