Penalty for breach of rule relating to sale of stamps and for unauthorised sale
Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 deals with penalty for breach of rule relating to sale of stamps and for unauthorised sale. Any person appointed to sell stamps who disobeys any rule made under section 74; The Act came into force on 01 Jul 1899.
(a) Any person appointed to sell stamps who disobeys any rule made under section 74; and
(b) any person not so appointed who sells or offers for sale any stamp (other than a 1ten naye paise or five naye paise] adhesive stamp);
shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.
STATE AMENDMENT
Arunachal Pradesh.--
Amendment of sections 69,--
(8) in section 69, in clause (b), for the words "five hundred rupees", the words "five thousand rupees" shall be substituted.
[Vide Arunachal Pradesh Act 3 of 2010, s. 2]
Section 69, The Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (Act 2 of 1899).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
This section refers to
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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V. V. S. Rama Sharma vs State of U. P.
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Under the constitutional scheme, particularly Entry 91 of Union List covering rates of stamp duty for insurance policies, the power to prescribe insurance stamp rates belongs to Parliament. States cannot, through rule-making power or administrative action, impose restrictions on purchase of insurance stamps from authorized sources outside their borders, as this would circumvent central legislation and exceed State authority. Purchasing insurance stamps from any duly authorized licensed stamp vendor throughout the country is legally permissible and does not constitute any criminal offense under IPC Sections 420/409 or Stamp Act Sections 64/69. Consequently, an FIR alleging only such purchasing practice, without any additional element of fraud, deception, or actual deprivation of government revenue, discloses absolutely no criminal offense and can be quashed under Section 482 CrPC as manifestation of malicious prosecution.
On this section: Penalty for breach of sale rules and unauthorized sale of stamps. Court found Section 69 inapplicable as appellants were neither stamp vendors nor doing unauthorized sales
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 69
What have the courts held on Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act?
V. V. S. Rama Sharma vs State of U. P. (15 Apr 2009) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Penalty for breach of sale rules and unauthorized sale of stamps. Court found Section 69 inapplicable as appellants were neither stamp vendors nor doing unauthorized sales.
How do I find court cases under Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Stamp Act 69, section 69 Stamp Act, section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act. People searching for it also type section 69 of indian stamp act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with V. V. S. Rama Sharma vs State of U. P. (15 Apr 2009).
What should I read with Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 74 (Powers to make rules relating to sale of stamps), so none of them can safely be read on its own.
When did Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act come into force?
Section 69 of the Indian Stamp Act, cited as Stamp Act 69, came into force on 01 Jul 1899, having been enacted on 27 Jan 1899. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 47. Power of payer to stamp bills, and promissory notes received by him unstamped4923 words
- 2. Definitions3110 words
- 3. Instruments chargeable with duty1916 words
- 10. Duties how to be paid1187 words
- 28. Direction as to duty in case of certain conveyances961 words
- 73. Books, etc., to be open to inspection932 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.