How can I read a stock-market contract note?

You start with the trade details section, which lists each executed order for that day: the stock or contract name, buy or sell, quantity, and the exact executed price, this is the raw trade data before any charges are applied. Below that, the charges breakdown itemises brokerage, STT, exchange transaction charges, GST, SEBI turnover fees, and stamp duty separately for each trade, rather than as one bundled number, which is exactly what lets you see where your money actually went. At the bottom, there’s usually a net amount payable or receivable, the final figure after all charges are netted against the trade value, which is what actually affects your account balance. You compare this net figure against your own back-of-envelope estimate before the trade, and if there’s a meaningful unexplained gap, you go line by line through the charges breakdown rather than just accepting the total, since that’s where a genuine discrepancy would show up.