A case was filed at the Calcutta High Court following an incident where money deposited on a government portal was not refunded, prompting the court to take a serious view of the matter. Consequently, the High Court on Wednesday ordered the state’s finance secretary to appear personally. Justice Krishna Rao’s single bench observed that if the government believes repeated court orders will not be implemented, then the finance secretary should come and place his statement before the court.
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Technical glitch on GRIPS portal triggers legal battle
Money for any tax or case challan must be deposited through the government’s GRIPS portal. About a month ago, a lawyer went to deposit ₹50,000 on behalf of a client through a QR code on the portal for a case. However, the link got disconnected and no receipt was generated due to technical reasons. The lawyer later paid the amount again from another account.
Subsequently, it was informed that the money had already been deposited through the portal. When initial correspondence failed to secure a refund, the lawyer approached the High Court and filed a case.
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Court flags impact on ordinary citizens
Justice Rao examined the documents and earlier ordered the money to be refunded. Despite this, the refund was not processed, and the issue continued. During Tuesday’s hearing, the lawyer submitted that the court should also consider how many ordinary citizens suffer in similar situations, not just lawyers.
Even when the state counsel sought more time, the court summoned the finance secretary. Lawyers pointed out that once money is deposited through the portal, it goes directly into the government treasury, and such problems frequently arise due to technical glitches. Those affected, they said, are aware of the extent of difficulties citizens face while seeking refunds.
