Stamp Bill to enable payment of stamp duty by electronic means in Karnataka

The Karnataka Stamp (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on March 18, 2025.
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The Karnataka Stamp (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on March 18 to bring digital e-stamping within the gambit of duly stamped, and to give legal support for electronic signatures.

The Bill, which was tabled by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, proposes to enable payment of stamp duty by electronic means.

Land grabbing

The Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was tabled in the Assembly on March 18 to protect government land in all urban areas of the State and ensure the revenue officials do not shirk from their primary responsibility.

It also proposed enhancement of penalty from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 and three years of imprisonment in cases of land grabbing.

The Bill, which was tabled by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, proposes to introduce an accurate way of measuring distance while filing a case against encroachment of government land.

The Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2014, was enacted to establish a special court in the State for speedy trial of any act of alleged ‘land grabbing’ and to prosecute the offences related to land grabbing, ownership of the grabbed land, cases related to possession of land legally.

Whereas appointment of staff and employees is a prerogative of the government and governed by the rules, norms and economy orders, it said supervision of the government is required for any recruitment.

Protection of rural land

The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the House, for more clarity regarding regularisation of unauthorised cultivation committee that are constituted in Assembly constituencies, and to introduce an accurate way of measuring distance while granting land, defining government kharab land, and using and disposing such land, naming and renaming of revenue areas.

It also proposed to make the government grant land where private agricultural land is permanently lost due to alluvion or diluvion caused by natural occurrences, like change in course of river, flash floods, landslides, flooding of lakes, by suitable amendments.

It also aims at bringing stringent norms to check malpractices and preventing fraudulent entries in revenue records by revenue officers.

The Bill quoted Supreme Court rulings and said it was necessary for the State to protect public land, water bodies and grazing grounds from wanton misuse and encroachment.

Registration of power-of-attorney

The Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced to amend the Registration Act of 1908 to compulsorily register power-of-attorney authorising transfer of immovable property with or without consideration.

It also aims at compulsorily registering documents relating to any grant of immovable property by the government and prove any power-of-attorney by producing it.

The Bill proposes to send the documents electronically to the registering officers by the government officers, or certain public functionaries, as notified under Section 88.

The Karnataka Village Offices Abolition (Amendment) Bill 2025, was introduced by Mr. Gowda, to substitute the reference of the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to respective provisions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.