Act allowing registration dept to cancel bogus docus comes to effect

CHENNAI: People no longer need to move the courts to get bogus documents cancelled and retrieve their property from land sharks and impersonators in the State. From Thursday, the State Registration Department would cancel bogus registrations and documents on its own.

The State government on Thursday launched the enforcement of the amended Registration Act empowering the Tamil Nadu registration department to invalidate bogus registrations, impersonations in registration and bogus documents. Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated it by handing over orders for the scrapped documents to five rightful owners of properties at the state secretariat on Wednesday.

An amendment Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in September 2021 to empower the State Registration Department to invalidate documents registered using fake reasons like bogus documents and impersonation was assented by the President on September 6, 2022

Pre-amendment, as per the Registration Act of 1908, a sub registrar or official of the registration department did not have the authority to cancel bogus documents, forcing affected parties to move the courts. Inclusion of clauses 22 (B) to the 1908 Act last September empowers registering officers to cancel bogus documents and registration of legally banned documents, while section 77 (A) of the amended Act authorizes district registrars to order the cancellation of documents, if they are found to be bogus consequent upon an inquiry with the petitioner and counter petitioner on the basis of a complaint.

An appeal can be preferred on the order of the district registrar within a month. The amendment also provides for initiating criminal proceedings (amounting to imprisonment) against such registration department officials and parties intentionally registering bogus documents. Through the amendment, legal measures have been taken to completely eradicate bogus registrations, a statement issued by the TN government said.

Tatkal registration; online marriage certificate correction launched

The Chief Minister also launched the Tatkal registration scheme, which allows people to register on days considered auspicious and cases requiring urgent registration. People can immediately avail tatkal registration tokens online on payment of Rs 5,000 through the website https://tnreginet.gov.in. Tatkal registration facility would be introduced in 100 maximum registering sub registrar offices from Thursday. The government also introduced the facility to make corrections in the marriage certificates online.