The Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill amending the Registration Act to provide for cancellation of property registrations officials made based on forged documents. The amendment also provides for a jail term of up to three years for registration officials found involved in such scandals.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda moved the Bill seeking to amend the Registration Act, 1908. The law, in its present form, does not provide for cancellation of property registrations if made based on fake or forged documents. The amendments would empower the registration authorities to cancel such registrations and even provides for appealing to higher ups by an aggrieved party.
Such registration of documents based on forged papers happen either with active collusion of registration officials or sometimes without their knowledge. The amendment provides for a jail term of up to three years if any official was found involved in such scandal.
The minister said there have been many cases where genuine landowners have been running from pillar to post to prove their ownership of plots and to take back their possession. If someone sells a plot using forged/fake documents and a buyer gets possession of it, then the genuine landowner has to prove his title in a civil court which could take as much as 10 years.
Byre Gowda named a few lawmakers who were victims of such scams and had to struggle a lot to claim ownership of their property.
The amendment defines a forged document and gives power to the registration authorities to refuse registration of forged documents and other documents prohibited by law. The amendments empower a District Registrar either Suo moto or in response to a complaint to cancel registration of forged documents. The new law also provides for appeal by an aggrieved party.
