Circular No. 25600/C1/2018, Prevention of Fraudulent Document Registration

What the circular governs

The Head of the Registration Department issued Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 dated 7 June 2018 to create a record that original prior registration documents were checked during property registration. It applies from 11 June 2018 to registration officers handling documents such as sale, transfer, gift, settlement, mortgage and general power of attorney documents concerning immovable property.

Checks before accepting a document

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 requires registration officers to obtain and examine documents supporting the document holder's ownership. Depending on the property, these may include the prior registration document, patta and other revenue records.

For a sale document, officers must check whether the prior registration details, patta and four boundaries are clearly stated. These details are to be compared with the survey number and subdivision number recorded in the A Register and guideline register.

Verification and scanning procedure

Registration officers must follow these steps:

• Write “Verified” by hand in the left margin of the first page of the original prior registration document.
• Add the date and the registration officer's signature below the verification.
• Scan that page only as a Reference Document.
• Use the reverse of the first page if repeated verification for plot or flat transactions leaves no space on the front.
• Verify and scan every relevant prior document when several properties in one document came through different prior documents.
• Verify only the latest original document establishing the present owner's purchase. Earlier documents in the ownership chain need not be marked even if produced.

The Reference Document page is not designed to appear in a later certified copy of the registered document.

Missing originals and ancestral property

If an original prior document is missing, the owner must provide a certified copy, a copy of the police complaint receipt, known as the CSR, and a copy of the newspaper advertisement. A Non Traceable Certificate, if issued, must also be scanned with these materials as Reference Documents.

For ancestral property, evidence such as patta and house tax receipts must be attached to the main document and scanned as Main Documents.

Return of original documents

The registration office must acknowledge receipt of original prior documents on the fee receipt by noting the document number. After scanning, the documents must be returned to the person entitled to receive the original registered document. The return must be recorded in a register containing document details, the recipient's name and signature, and the Sub Registrar's initials.