In Brief
Ansal Housing, a real estate developer, and allottees of apartments challenged a High Court judgment that held a tripartite agreement between the State, developer, and allottees was a lease requiring full stamp duty. The Supreme Court held that determining whether the agreement constitutes a lease for stamp duty purposes falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent authority under the Indian Stamp Act, not the High Court. The Court set aside the High Court's judgment and directed the competent authority to decide the matter within six months, emphasizing that a statutory adjudication scheme exists for such disputes.
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