Amendment to the Tamil Nadu Document Writers' Licence Rules

What the notification does

The Commercial Taxes and Registration Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, issued G.O. Ms. No. 158, Commercial Taxes and Registration (M2), dated 17 December 2012. The Governor of Tamil Nadu made the amendment using the powers conferred by Section 89-B of the Registration Act, 1908.

The notification changes the Tamil Nadu Document Writers' Licence Rules, 1982, as subsequently amended. It makes one specific textual change:

• In clause (m) of rule 5, the expression “or receiving any income from any other sources” is omitted.
• The amendment came into force on 17 December 2012.

The notification does not reproduce the rest of clause (m), so the complete wording and operation of that clause cannot be determined from this Gazette extract alone.

Who is affected

The Tamil Nadu Document Writers' Licence Rules, 1982 govern document writers' licences. The amendment therefore directly concerns people whose eligibility, licensing or conduct is dealt with under clause (m) of rule 5, including document writers and people seeking a document writer's licence.

Property buyers, sellers and owners who use a document writer may encounter professionals regulated by these rules. However, the Gazette notification only amends the licensing rules. It does not state that property owners must take any action.

Practical significance

The removal means that clause (m) of rule 5 no longer contains the words “or receiving any income from any other sources” from the effective date. The Gazette extract does not explain why the words were removed or describe how the remaining part of clause (m) should be applied.

The notification contains no change to:

• land ownership or title;
• registration charges or fees;
• stamp duty;
• document-writing charges;
• property registration procedures; or
• existing land records.

Anyone assessing a document writer's licensing position would need the full current text of the Tamil Nadu Document Writers' Licence Rules, 1982, including the remaining wording of rule 5, clause (m), because that wording is not printed in this notification.