Refund, Cancellation, Service Termination & Payment Reversal Policy

This Refund, Cancellation, Service Termination & Payment Reversal Policy ("Policy") constitutes an integral part of the terms governing the purchase and provision of services through Stamp Mitra, including the Stamp Mitra website, customer portal, mobile or web applications, payment links, assisted-order channels and other digital interfaces operated by or on behalf of Bani Global Industries LLP ("Stamp Mitra", "we", "us", "our").

Stamp Mitra provides and/or facilitates a broad range of business, legal-documentation, compliance, registration, filing, government-application, e-stamp, statutory, professional and related services.

Given the nature of such services, an order may involve one or more of the following: Stamp Mitra service or professional fees; government fees; statutory fees; regulatory charges; stamp duty; e-stamp value; registration charges; filing fees; appointment or verification charges; third-party charges; courier or logistics charges; payment-processing charges; applicable taxes; and other amounts payable in connection with fulfilment of the customer's requested service.

Accordingly, the amount paid by a customer does not necessarily constitute a single refundable amount.

Each component may be governed by different legal, statutory, contractual and operational rules. This Policy establishes the principles applicable to cancellation, refund, reversal, adjustment, service termination and payment disputes.

By accessing Stamp Mitra, creating an account, submitting an enquiry, accepting a quotation, clicking an acceptance/confirmation button, making payment, submitting documents or otherwise instructing Stamp Mitra to commence a service, the customer acknowledges and agrees to the applicable terms governing the transaction.

Where the customer accepts terms electronically, such acceptance may constitute an electronic record and may form part of the contractual relationship between the parties. The Information Technology Act, 2000 recognises contracts formed through electronic means and provides that a contract shall not be deemed unenforceable merely because electronic records or electronic means were used in its formation.

Accordingly, electronic records including, without limitation, checkout confirmations, order confirmations, quotations, invoices, payment receipts, service descriptions, consent records, OTP verification records, email communications, WhatsApp communications, customer portal activity, uploaded documents, application acknowledgements, and other transaction records may constitute evidence of the transaction and applicable instructions, subject always to applicable law.

3.1 "Customer" means the individual, proprietorship, partnership, LLP, company, organisation, entity or other person placing or benefiting from an order.

3.2 "Order" means a request for one or more services submitted through Stamp Mitra.

3.3 "Order Value" means the total amount payable or paid in connection with an Order.

3.4 "Service Fee" means the amount retained by Stamp Mitra for providing, facilitating, processing, coordinating or assisting with the applicable service.

3.5 "Government Fee" means any fee payable to a government authority, statutory authority, regulator, local authority or other public body.

3.6 "Statutory Charges" means any mandatory amount imposed under applicable law, regulation, notification, rules, government order or authority schedule.

3.7 "Stamp Duty" means applicable stamp duty, e-stamp value or other amount imposed in relation to stamping or registration of an instrument.

3.8 "Third-Party Charges" means amounts payable to a person or organisation other than Stamp Mitra in connection with fulfilment of an Order.

3.9 "Commencement of Service" means the point at which Stamp Mitra or its authorised personnel commence substantive processing of an Order. Commencement may occur before submission of an application to a government authority.

3.10 "Completed Service" means a service for which Stamp Mitra has substantially performed the agreed scope, whether or not a government authority has independently completed its processing.

3.11 "Refund" means repayment of an eligible amount to the customer following approval under this Policy.

3.12 "Cancellation" means a customer request to discontinue an Order before completion.

3.13 "Government Authority" includes central, state, municipal, local, statutory, regulatory, judicial, quasi-judicial or other public authority.

Stamp Mitra does not treat every payment as one indivisible amount. For purposes of refund assessment, the Order may be separated into: Government/Statutory Component + Stamp Duty/E-Stamp Component + Third-Party Component + Stamp Mitra Service Component + Applicable Taxes.

The refundability of each component shall be determined independently. Consequently, payment of a given amount does not necessarily create a refund entitlement of that same amount. Likewise, the fact that a government fee forms a substantial portion of an Order does not mean that Stamp Mitra has retained that amount as its service revenue.

Where an amount has been paid or committed to a government authority or third party and is not recoverable by Stamp Mitra, the corresponding amount may not be refundable by Stamp Mitra.

Government and statutory charges are generally outside Stamp Mitra's unilateral control. Such charges may include government application fees, registration fees, licence fees, statutory filing fees, regulatory fees, municipal charges, government portal charges, court or authority fees, stamp duty, e-stamp value, government verification charges, appointment charges, and other mandatory statutory payments.

Where Stamp Mitra has already paid, deposited or otherwise committed such amount to the relevant authority or authorised intermediary, the amount may be treated as non-recoverable from Stamp Mitra, unless the relevant authority provides a refund.

Where the relevant authority permits a refund, Stamp Mitra may assist in obtaining or passing through the recoverable amount, subject to the authority's procedure and actual receipt.

Stamp duty is a statutory levy and is not, merely by virtue of being collected through Stamp Mitra, converted into Stamp Mitra's service fee. Where an e-stamp, stamp certificate, stamp paper or other statutory instrument has been generated, issued, purchased or processed, its cancellation and refund shall be governed by the applicable law, rules and procedures of the relevant jurisdiction and issuing authority.

The customer acknowledges that: stamp duty may be non-refundable; an e-stamp may not be cancellable after issuance; refund eligibility may depend on the issuing authority; refund processing may require prescribed procedures; and Stamp Mitra cannot independently guarantee recovery of statutory amounts.

Where a statutory refund is received by Stamp Mitra on behalf of the customer, the recoverable amount may be remitted after reconciliation.

Stamp Mitra's service fee represents consideration for the services provided or facilitated by Stamp Mitra. Such work may include consultation, eligibility assessment, document review, data verification, application preparation, form preparation, drafting, filing assistance, government portal processing, coordination, follow-up, tracking, customer support, compliance assistance, internal quality checks, document management, administrative processing, and other activities falling within the purchased scope.

The service fee may therefore become earned progressively as work is performed.

For purposes of this Policy, service commencement may occur upon any material action taken by Stamp Mitra in reliance upon the customer's instruction. Examples include: verification of documents; internal eligibility assessment; data validation; drafting; form preparation; application preparation; KYC processing; government portal preparation; appointment booking; third-party coordination; payment of statutory charges; generation of an application; preparation of an e-stamp transaction; preparation of a filing package; or any other substantive activity undertaken specifically for the customer's Order.

Service commencement is therefore not limited to the date on which an application is finally submitted to a government authority.

Where the customer requests cancellation before substantive service commencement and before any non-recoverable payment or third-party commitment has been incurred, Stamp Mitra may consider the Order for cancellation and refund.

The refund may be subject to: verification of the Order; payment reconciliation; applicable transaction costs; third-party costs; administrative costs where lawfully chargeable; and any other amount already incurred.

Approval is discretionary only to the extent permitted by law and shall not prejudice any mandatory statutory consumer right.

Once service commencement has occurred, the customer may request cancellation. However, the refundable amount, if any, shall be determined after accounting for: work already completed; work already commenced; government payments; statutory payments; stamp duty; third-party commitments; documents prepared; applications prepared; appointments booked; and other non-recoverable costs.

Accordingly, cancellation after commencement may result in a partial refund, no refund, or refund of specified recoverable components only, depending upon the circumstances.

After an application has been submitted to a government authority, regulatory authority, statutory body or third-party platform, cancellation may no longer be practically possible. Any government/statutory fees and completed service components may therefore remain non-refundable.

Where withdrawal is legally permissible, Stamp Mitra may assist where such assistance forms part of the purchased service or is otherwise agreed.

A rejection, deficiency, objection, query or adverse decision by a government authority does not, by itself, establish a failure by Stamp Mitra. Government authorities independently determine eligibility, approval, registration, licence issuance, application acceptance, verification, objections, and compliance requirements.

Where the rejection is attributable to the customer's eligibility, documents, information, address, jurisdiction, non-cooperation, failure to respond, failure to attend, or failure to comply with authority requirements, the Order shall generally not become refundable solely because the application was rejected.

Where it is established after reasonable investigation that a material failure in service delivery was directly attributable to Stamp Mitra and not to the customer, a government authority, a third party, technical infrastructure outside Stamp Mitra's reasonable control, or circumstances beyond Stamp Mitra's control, Stamp Mitra may, depending upon the circumstances: (1) correct the error; (2) reprocess the application; (3) resubmit the application; (4) provide the affected service again; or (5) provide an appropriate refund of the affected service component.

The remedy shall be proportionate to the actual service deficiency.

The customer acknowledges that Stamp Mitra's service may constitute assistance, preparation, facilitation or filing support, and not a guarantee that a government authority will approve an application. Accordingly, government rejection does not equal automatic refund of the entire Order Value.

Refund entitlement shall depend upon the cause of rejection, stage of service, work completed, statutory payments, third-party costs, and applicable service-specific terms.

A customer default includes, without limitation: failure to provide documents; failure to provide correct documents; failure to respond; failure to provide OTP; failure to complete KYC; failure to attend an appointment; failure to make an additional statutory payment; failure to sign required documents; failure to provide clarification; providing false or misleading information; providing forged or manipulated documents; providing expired documents; and failure to satisfy eligibility criteria.

Where an Order cannot be completed because of customer default, the Order may be placed on hold or closed. Amounts corresponding to work already performed or costs already incurred may remain non-refundable.

The customer shall provide complete, accurate and truthful information reasonably required to perform the service. Stamp Mitra may rely upon information supplied by the customer unless there is reasonable cause to question its accuracy.

Stamp Mitra shall not be responsible for adverse consequences arising solely from material information that was not disclosed, was incorrectly disclosed, was incomplete, was subsequently changed, or was represented inaccurately.

Government authorities may independently request additional documents, affidavits, photographs, physical verification, address proof, clarification, additional fees, revised forms, personal appearance, biometric verification, or other compliance requirements. Such requirements may arise after Order placement.

Where additional statutory charges become payable, the customer may be required to pay such charges separately.

Where a quotation identifies government fees as estimated, approximate, indicative, subject to authority confirmation, or as applicable, the amount shall not be treated as a fixed statutory charge.

The actual amount payable may depend on the government fee schedule, state, jurisdiction, transaction value, applicant category, entity type, number of applicants, number of documents, authority classification, stamp duty rules, applicable exemptions, and other statutory parameters. Any difference shall be reconciled with the customer as applicable.

Approved refunds shall ordinarily be processed to the original payment instrument or through the original payment gateway. Where this is technically impossible, additional verification may be required.

Stamp Mitra shall not request a customer's UPI PIN, ATM PIN, internet banking password, card CVV for refund authentication, or OTP for authorising an unrelated transaction.

Once a refund is formally approved, Stamp Mitra shall initiate the applicable refund within a reasonable operational period. The time taken for actual credit may depend upon the payment gateway, bank, card network, UPI network, financial institution, government authority, or third-party provider.

Where a refund is controlled by a government authority or third party, Stamp Mitra shall not be responsible for delays attributable solely to that authority or provider.

Stamp Mitra may conduct a reasonable internal review before approving a refund. The review may include Order history, customer portal logs, payment records, communication records, document-submission history, application records, government acknowledgement, third-party invoices, and service-team records.

Customers may be requested to provide reasonable information required for the review.

Stamp Mitra may investigate claims involving false allegations, repeated unsupported refund requests, payment manipulation, chargeback abuse, duplicate refund attempts, identity misuse, forged documents, fraudulent payment instruments, or misrepresentation.

Nothing in this Policy authorises unlawful withholding of a legitimate refund.

Customers are encouraged to first contact Stamp Mitra regarding transaction disputes. Where a customer initiates a chargeback, Stamp Mitra may provide relevant evidence to the payment processor, bank or dispute-resolution mechanism, including order confirmation, invoice, payment record, service status, communications, application records, delivery evidence, and refund correspondence.

A chargeback does not automatically establish the customer's entitlement to a refund.

Stamp Mitra shall not be responsible for delays or interruptions caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including government portal failure, internet or telecommunications failure, payment-network disruption, cyber incidents, natural disasters, fire, flood, epidemic or pandemic, war, civil disturbance, government restrictions, regulatory changes, strikes, authority closures, third-party infrastructure failure, or other comparable circumstances beyond reasonable control.

Where possible, Stamp Mitra may continue processing after the relevant disruption ceases.

Nothing in this Policy shall be interpreted as permitting Stamp Mitra to avoid responsibility for an actual deficiency in service attributable to Stamp Mitra. Where applicable law provides a remedy for deficiency, unfair trade practice, misleading representation or other actionable conduct, the customer's statutory rights shall remain unaffected.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 contains provisions relating to consumer rights, unfair trade practices and unfair contracts; therefore, refund conditions should be interpreted consistently with applicable statutory protections.

Stamp Mitra intends this Policy to operate consistently with applicable consumer-protection law. Nothing herein shall exclude a mandatory statutory remedy; restrict a competent consumer authority; contract out of a non-waivable legal right; authorise an unlawful charge; permit misleading representations; or prevent a customer from exercising a legally available remedy.

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 are among the rules published by the Department of Consumer Affairs governing e-commerce activity in India.

Any cancellation charge, deduction or adjustment shall be based upon the applicable transaction, work performed, statutory payment, third-party cost or other legitimate component of the Order. Stamp Mitra does not intend to impose a penalty that is disproportionate to the circumstances or otherwise contrary to applicable law.

This is particularly relevant because the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 addresses unfair contractual conditions, including disproportionate penalties and unreasonable charges imposed on consumers.

Because Stamp Mitra provides a large and evolving catalogue of services, a particular service may have additional terms. Such terms may appear in a service page, quotation, order page, checkout, invoice, service agreement, written confirmation, or customer communication.

Where a service-specific term expressly addresses cancellation or refund for that particular service, it shall be read together with this Policy and shall govern that specific subject matter to the extent permitted by law.

An Order may be considered abandoned where the customer fails to respond; fails to provide required documents; fails to complete required verification; fails to attend an appointment; fails to make a required additional payment; explicitly instructs Stamp Mitra not to proceed; or otherwise prevents reasonable completion of the service.

Before closure, Stamp Mitra may provide reasonable communication or reminders where operationally appropriate. Closure of an abandoned Order does not automatically create entitlement to a full refund.

Where a refund is approved, Stamp Mitra may calculate it substantially on the following basis: Amount Paid, LESS: government/statutory amount already paid and not recovered; stamp duty/e-stamp amount not recoverable; third-party costs not recoverable; value of completed service components; value of work already performed; lawfully applicable transaction/payment charges — EQUALS: Refundable Amount.

This is a framework and not a mathematical entitlement in every transaction. The actual calculation shall depend upon the service and applicable law.

Refund requests may require processing of personal information necessary for identity verification, transaction verification, Order reconciliation, payment processing, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and dispute resolution.

Such processing shall be undertaken in accordance with Stamp Mitra's applicable privacy/data-protection framework and applicable law. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 establishes a statutory framework concerning processing of digital personal data, subject to its commencement and applicable provisions.

For refund, cancellation or service-related complaints, the customer should provide: full name; Order ID; registered mobile number; registered email address; service name; transaction reference; description of the issue; requested remedy; and supporting documents, where applicable.

Stamp Mitra may request additional information reasonably necessary to investigate the complaint.

For transactions involving substantial statutory payments, Stamp Mitra may obtain additional confirmation from the customer before proceeding. Such confirmation may include:

"I confirm that I have reviewed the applicable service charges, government/statutory charges and refund conditions and authorise Stamp Mitra to proceed with the Order."

Such confirmation may be retained as part of the Order record.

This Policy is intended to establish a fair, transparent and commercially workable framework for cancellation and refund administration across Stamp Mitra's service catalogue.

The Policy shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with applicable Indian law; consumer protection law; applicable government rules; statutory requirements; applicable service-specific terms; and the actual circumstances of the Order.

In the event of any ambiguity, no provision shall be interpreted as excluding a mandatory legal right.

Customers should carefully review all applicable information before making payment. In particular, customers should distinguish between the Stamp Mitra Service Fee and Government/Statutory/Stamp Duty/Third-Party Charges. The two categories may have materially different refund treatment.

A government fee does not become Stamp Mitra's revenue merely because the customer paid the combined amount through Stamp Mitra. Similarly, payment of a service fee does not constitute a guarantee of government approval.