⚖️ Odisha (Orissa) Court Fee Calculator

Court Fees in Odisha (Orissa): A Guide for Advocates

Odisha (formerly Orissa) uses the Court Fees Act, 1870 (Central Act No. 7 of 1870) with significant Orissa-specific amendments. The 1939 Orissa Amendment Act substituted the entire Schedule I rate table with Orissa-specific slabs and created TWO separate rate tables (Article 1 for general plaints and Article 3 for specific suit categories). The Orissa Act 16 of 1958 converted annas/paise to decimal naye paise. The Orissa Act 34 of 1992 nearly tripled the rate above Rs. 50,000 from Rs. 37.50 to Rs. 100 per Rs. 5,000, effective 14th August 1992. The Act is under Orissa High Court jurisdiction at Cuttack.

How is court fee calculated?

1. Determine the valuation basis under Section 7 of the 1870 Act: S.7(i) for money suits (amount claimed); S.7(ii) for maintenance/annuity (10× annual amount); S.7(iv) for declaratory/injunction/accounts (plaintiff's valuation); S.7(v) for possession — sub-paragraphs: (a) short settlement ≤30 years = 5× survey assessment; (b) permanent/long settlement = 10× survey assessment; (d) non-assessed land = 15× net annual profits; (e) houses/gardens = market value; S.7(x) for mortgage (principal); S.7(xi) for specific performance.
2. Apply Schedule I Article 1 rate table with "or part thereof" ceiling rounding. The key 1992 change: above Rs. 50,000 the rate is Rs. 100 per Rs. 5,000 (was Rs. 37.50 pre-1992). All lower slabs (up to Rs. 50,000) are unchanged from the 1939 Amendment.
3. ⚠️ WOMEN'S EXEMPTION (S.18-A): Women with annual income ≤ Rs. 3,000 are COMPLETELY EXEMPT from court fees in: (a) suits for maintenance, (b) enhancement of maintenance, (c) recovery of share in estate of deceased husband/parent, (d) share in family property, (e) petition for divorce on grounds of cruelty. If eligible, fee = Rs. 0. The court may inquire into the petitioner's income. Note: Rs. 3,000 threshold is from an older amendment and may be practically obsolete — verify current threshold.
4. ⚠️ DUAL RATE TABLE: The 1939 Orissa Amendment created both Article 1 (general) and Article 3 (specific suits) tables in Schedule I. This calculator uses Article 1 for all suit types. The specific suit categories that route to Article 3 need verification from the 1939 Amendment original text or Orissa HC practice manual.

Key points advocates must know

• 📈 1992 RATE ENHANCEMENT: Above Rs. 50,000, the rate is Rs. 100 per Rs. 5,000 (Orissa Act 34/1992) — nearly 3× the pre-1992 rate of Rs. 37.50 per Rs. 5,000. This significantly increased fees for high-value suits while keeping rates unchanged for values ≤ Rs. 50,000.
• ♾️ NO MAXIMUM CAP: Odisha has no maximum cap on court fees. A Rs. 10 lakh suit costs ~Rs. 21,625; a Rs. 1 crore suit costs ~Rs. 1,96,625. Compare: Bihar and WB cap at Rs. 50,000; Maharashtra caps at Rs. 3,00,000.
• 👩 WOMEN'S EXEMPTION (S.18-A): Complete court fee exemption for women with annual income ≤ Rs. 3,000 in maintenance, share/partition, and cruelty-based divorce suits. Most comprehensive gender-based court fee exemption in India (only Odisha has this in the main Act). Income threshold may be outdated — verify current limit.
• 🏠 LAND VALUATION (S.7(v)): Odisha uses 5× or 10× survey assessment (lower than most states). Short settlement ≤30 years = 5×; permanent/long settlement = 10×. Non-assessed land: 15× net profits (same as WB). This makes possession suits cheaper than Gujarat (20×/40×) or Rajasthan (25×).
• ⚠️ DUAL RATE TABLE: The 1939 Orissa Amendment created Article 1 (general) and Article 3 (specific suits) tables in Schedule I. This calculator uses Article 1 only — verify which suits use Article 3 from the 1939 Amendment Schedule B or Orissa HC practice manual.
• 💰 PAISE FEES: The Rs.12.50 and Rs.37.50 increment amounts produce paise values (e.g., Rs. 1,637.50 for a Rs. 6,250 suit). These are the legally required amounts — purchase stamps to the nearest available denomination.

Specific questions