IOR/R/15/2/1601

This file concerns court fee stamps (a type of revenue stamp used to pay court fees) and consular fee stamps, issued to the Bahrain Political Agency. The part of the file dating from 1945 to the end of 1947 consists mostly of indents, completed by the Treasury Officer at the Political Agency, and invoices received by the Political Agent, mostly for adhesive but also for impressed court fee stamps. These indents and invoices are issued by the Government of India's Central Stamp Store, Nasik Road, Nasik.

In addition to indents and invoices, this part of the file includes telegrams and brief letters of correspondence. The principal correspondents are the following: the Deputy Controller of Stamps, Central Stamp Store, Nasik Road; the Controller of Stamps, Central Stamp Store, Nasik Road (in the previous file the Master, Security Printing India is stated as being the ex-officio Controller of Stamps); the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident, Bahrain. Most of this correspondence consists of notifications of delivered or received despatches.

The part of the file dating from January 1948 onwards documents the changes to the purchase and distribution of stamps that occurred following the independence of India in 1947.

In a circular letter, dated 20 January 1948 (folio 69), the Secretary to the Political Resident, Bahrain, informs the Political Agents at Bahrain and Kuwait that whilst the Government of India has agreed to supply Indian court fee stamps up to 31 March 1948, it has been decided that in future court fee stamps should be used for court purposes only, and that consular stamps should be used for consular and notarial purposes.

From April 1948 onwards, the file documents the purchase of consular fee stamps by the Political Agency, Bahrain, from the Finance Department of the Foreign Office, London, and the subsequent distribution of these stamps to the other Political Agencies in the Gulf. Correspondents include the following: the Secretary to the Political Resident, Bahrain; the Political Agency, Bahrain; the British Agency, Sharjah [Political Agency, Trucial Coast]; the Finance Department, Foreign Office, London; the Political Residency, Bahrain; the Political Agency, Kuwait; the British Agency [Political Agency], Doha.