Nagpur: The Maharashtra legislature on Monday unanimously passed the Maharashtra stamp (amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at expediting the disposal of pending stamp duty cases and decentralising decision-making powers within the revenue administration.The Bill, introduced by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, was approved by both Houses of the legislature on Monday. The reform increases the financial authority of district and regional officers so that many cases no longer need to be referred to the state’s top registration authority.
Officials said the amendment modifies Section 52A of Maharashtra Stamp Act, enabling greater administrative decentralisation. The move is expected to reduce the workload at Maharashtra Inspector General of Registration office, and allow quicker decisions locally.Under the revised framework, the financial powers of several authorities were increased. The district collector (stamps) will now be able to decide cases involving up to Rs20 lakh, an increase of Rs5 lakh over the earlier limit. The deputy inspector general of registration outside Mumbai will have powers up to Rs50 lakh, up from Rs30 lakh. For cases within Mumbai jurisdiction, the additional controller of stamps will have financial authority up to Rs1 crore, enhanced by Rs20 lakh. Similarly, the chief controlling revenue authority’s limit was raised to Rs1 crore.Speaking in the legislature during the discussion on the bill, Bawankule said many cases remained pending simply because local officers lacked sufficient financial powers to decide them. “At present, many cases remain pending with the inspector general of registration only because financial limits at lower levels are small,” he said. “Citizens are forced to frequently travel to Mumbai and suffer inconvenience. Now district collectors and deputy inspector generals will be able to decide higher-value cases at their level.” He added that the reform would improve transparency and help clear the backlog of pending matters more efficiently.The govt also introduced the Maharashtra land revenue code (amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Assembly. Officials said the stamp duty reform is expected to accelerate administrative processes in the revenue department and help resolve technical hurdles often faced during property registration and transfer transactions.
