Krishna Byre Gowda | Photo credit:
More than two decades after the paper-based e-stamp was launched, Karnataka will soon replace it with a mandatory electronic e-stamp for both registered and non-registered documents.
The new facility, which will be made mandatory in the coming weeks, will not only bring convenience to the public to get stamp paper from the comfort of their homes, but will also prevent misuse, including the creation of fake stamp papers.
Ease of purchase
From the moment you approach a stamp paper dealer on set days and hours, the new facility will provide easy purchase of stamp paper online 24/7 from the comfort of your home. Not only was it fully online, but it was also not open to any manipulation, the government said on Monday.
While earlier if a stamped paper document was lost, the public could not retrieve it, in the new facility, as the government will maintain a digital record, the documents can be retrieved using a QR code.
The e-stamping facility was introduced in Karnataka after a multi-crore fake stamp scam was unearthed in 2002-2003. Over the years, paper e-stamp revenue has generated significant revenue for the government.
While stamp duty of around ₹45.90 crore was collected in 2009–10 by issuing certificates worth ₹5.92 crore, it rose to around ₹2,320 crore in 2024–25 when around ₹3.07 crore was issued.
Misuse of e-stamp
“The government has observed the misuse of e-stamp papers. The misuse has been going on for several years. The misuse includes printing of e-stamps and making color photocopies of them. E-stamps have also been misused to pay less wages than what should have been paid,” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told reporters on Monday.
He said there are 54 classifications of registrable documents, with fees ranging from several hundred to several thousand. “However, in transactions where several thousands were to be paid as duty, ₹100 stamp paper was being purchased, which is a misclassification. This led to losses to the exchequer,” he said, adding that several such cases were reported.
Technical upgrade
The Minister said that digital electronic stamp has been ordered for registrable and non-registrable documents. “Nearly half of non-registrable documents are found to be used to file affidavits. With changing times, the government has also moved on in technology.”
Published – 01 Dec 2025 19:58 IST
