Surjeet Singh Puri And ANR v. Shri Gurudev Singh Pritam Singh Puri

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

TESTAMENTARY AND INTESTATE JURISDICTION TESTAMENTARY PETITION NO. 4119 OF 2025 Gurudev Singh Pritam Singh Puri .. Deceased vs.

Surjeet Singh Puri and Another .. Petitioners ....................

Mr. Krupesh Bhosle i/b Mr. Maulik K. Tanna (Through VC), Advocates for the Petitioners.

....................

CORAM

: MILIND N. JADHAV, J.

DATE : APRIL 18, 2026.

P.C.:

1.

Mentioned out of turn at the time of mentioning. 2.

Heard Mr. Krupesh Bhosle, learned Advocate for the Petitioners. Perused the praecipe dated 18.04.2026 for withdrawal of the Testamentary Petition.

3.

Refund of Court fee as per Rules.

4.

The Registry shall issue the refund certificate for Court Fees within a period of two weeks from today on the basis of a server copy of this order. The refund certificate shall be submitted by Petitioners to the Collector of Stamp Duty, First Floor, Old Customs House, Mumbai which is the concerned office. Copy of this order shall

also be served on the Collector of Stamps, First Floor, Old Customs House, Mumbai.

5.

I am informed by several parties, who seek such refund that an extraordinary long period of time is taken for refund of the Court Fees from the Collector's Office and thereafter from the Pay and Accounts Office. Collector of Stamps shall personally look into this and ensure that the Petitioners are refunded the Court Fees on presentation of a server copy of this order and the refund certificate/letter is issued within a period of four weeks thereafter at the highest. Petitioners shall give all other details to the Collector of Stamps and the aforesaid order shall be complied with strictly.

6.

I am informed that refund of Court Fees is then actually issued by the Pay and Accounts Department situated at Bandra. Copy of this order shall also be placed before the Collector of Stamps, Mumbai City and Collector of Stamps, Mumbai MSD and the In-charge of Pay and Accounts Department, Bandra.

7.

I am informed that after refund certificate is filed, Collector of Stamps Office has to issue letter/some order to the Pay and Accounts Department for generating the refund and the refund is thereafter received from the Pay and Accounts Department of the State

of Maharashtra situated in Bandra. In-charge of the Pay and Accounts situated at Bandra is therefore directed to ensure that whenever letter regarding for refund of Court Fees is received from the Office of the Collector of Stamps, the same shall be complied with by its Office within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of such request and there shall be no delay in this compliance and refund whatsoever. 8.

This order is issued by Court because this Court in the present roster while handling matters where refund of Court Fees is given has received several complaints that even after orders for refund are issued by the Registry of this Court, inter alia, relating to refund of Court Fees the same takes an invariably long period of time to get the refund of Court Fees and sometimes more than a year. 9.

Copy of this order shall be placed before the Registrar General of this Court and he is directed to inform the aforementioned Authorities to ensure that the concerned Government Officers shall comply with the above directions and timeline in the interest of the litigants as soon as the refund certificate is issued within the time stipulated in this order.

10.

Collector of Stamps, Mumbai City and Collector of Stamp, MSD are also directed to take cognizance of this order and ensure that

compliance of timelines given in this order are duly complied with in all cases of refund of Court Fees, which are granted by this Court. 11.

In view of the above, present Testamentary Petition is disposed as withdrawn.

[ MILIND N. JADHAV, J. ] by GITALAXMI KRISHNA KOTAWADEKAR Date:

2026.04.20 19:26:29 +0530 GITALAXMI KRISHNA KOTAWADEKAR