Proceedings No. 21236/I1/2001, Prevention of false personation in registration

What this document is

The Inspector General of Registration, Registration Department, Chennai, in Proceedings No. 21236/I1/2001 dated 24 January 2003, issued administrative instructions to stop false personation and fake registrations. The instructions tell registration officers how to verify the identity of the people executing or claiming under documents, and how to record that verification in the registration endorsement.

Who it affects

This guidance affects:

• people presenting sale deeds for registration,
• executants and claimants under other documents,
• agents acting under general or special power documents,
• witnesses who identify parties, and
• Sub Registrars, District Registrars and other registration officers.

For property buyers and owners, the practical effect is that identity proof must be produced and checked before registration.

What registration officers must do

The Registration Department instructions say registration officers must ask for any one of the approved identity documents, verify the original, and include the identity details in the endorsement along with the executant or claimant details.

The approved identity documents listed are:

• Election Commission voter identity card
• Passport
• Driving licence with photograph
• Income Tax Department identity card, PAN or GIR
• Ration card, only for identification of the family head
• Employee identity card of Government, Government related institutions or local bodies
• Bank or post office passbook with photograph
• Student identity card
• Bus or railway travel identity card
• Gun licence
• Pension identity card
• Disability certificate
• Freedom fighter identity card

Special points in the instructions

The Proceedings No. 21236/I1/2001 dated 24 January 2003 also state that:

• for sale documents, both the executant and claimant must be identified,
• for other documents, the executants must be identified,
• where an agent executes a document based on a general or special power, the same identity verification must be done for the agent,
• if several documents are presented on the same day, one verification is enough,
• identification through witnesses will continue,
• even if the person is already known to the registration officer, the identifying details must still be entered in the endorsement, though witnesses are not required in such cases,
• District Registrars and registration officers must display these details on office notice boards for the public,
• compliance must be checked during audit and inspection.

When it applies

The Inspector General of Registration, Registration Department, Chennai, states that these instructions come into force from 01.02.2003 and apply to documents presented for registration from that date.