The Supreme Court of India on Monday (October 6, 2025) decided to examine a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Securities Transaction Tax (STT), a direct tax levied on securities transactions through a listed stock exchange, as imposed under the Finance Act, 2004.

A Bench headed by Justice JB Pardiwala issued formal notice to the Union government, through the Ministry of Finance, on the petition filed by Aseem Juneja, represented by advocate Siddhartha K Garg, who contended that the STT violated fundamental rights to equality and to trade or earn a livelihood and the basic right to live with dignity.

The petition clarified that the challenge to the STT was not because the taxation on the stock market participants had increased or that the taxation was currently high.

“T

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