சுற்றறிக்கை எண்.25600/சி1/2018, நாள்.07.06.2018

What the circular governs

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 of the Tamil Nadu Registration Department sets out how registration officers must document their examination of prior title records. The purpose is to show that the original records supporting a property owner's rights were checked before a document was accepted for registration.

People presenting property documents may need to produce the relevant original prior registered document, patta or other revenue records. Registration officers must be satisfied about the present document holder's rights before accepting the document.

Documents covered

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 applies when documents concerning immovable property are presented for registration, including:

• Sale documents.
• Transfers of ownership.
• Gifts.
• Settlements.
• Mortgages.
• General powers of attorney.

For a general power of attorney, the document must state how the property was acquired, and the supporting original documents must be examined.

Certification and scanning procedure

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 requires the registration officer to write "Verified" by hand on the left margin of the first page of the relevant original prior document. The officer must add the date and signature, then scan that page as a Reference Document.

If there is no room on the first page, including where the same prior document supports several plot or flat registrations, the certification may be placed on the back of the first page and that page scanned. Where several properties in one document come from different prior documents, every relevant prior document must be certified and scanned.

Only the prior document needed to establish the current owner's acquisition must be certified. An earlier document in the ownership chain does not need certification merely because it was also produced.

Missing originals and ancestral property

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 requires a certified copy when an original prior document is missing. The owner must also submit a copy of the police complaint acknowledgment and the newspaper advertisement. A Non Traceable Certificate, if issued, and the related records must be scanned as Reference Documents.

For ancestral property, records such as patta and house tax receipts must be attached to the original registration document and scanned as part of the Main Document.

Receipt, return and audit

Circular No. 25600/C1/2018 requires the document number to be recorded on the fee receipt when originals are received for certification and scanning. Prior documents must be returned to the person entitled to receive the original, and the return must be recorded with the recipient's name and signature. District Registrars responsible for audit must check compliance and separately note failures to follow the procedure.