Registration of documents: AP HC hears PIL on newly introduced system

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has taken up the hearing on a petition against the newly introduced system for property documents registration etc and served notices on the state chief secretary and the Stamps and Registration IG. The court posted the matter for the next hearing after three weeks.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Raghunandan Rao heard the PIL filed by former TD MLA, GV Anjaneyulu, here on Wednesday. It challenged the government circular for implementation of the ‘Computer Aided Administration of Registration Department-Property Rights Mutation Made Easy’ (CARD-PRIMME) system for online document generation for the registration of property.

It claimed that the system was illegal, arbitrary and a violation of several provisions of the Registration Act, 1908 and a violation of article 300-A of the Constitution.

The petitioner urged the court to set aside the circular and direct the government to continue the existing system/procedure prescribed under provisions of Registration Act, 1908, for documents registration for purposes like transferring the property rights.

Petitioner’s counsel Yelamanjula Balaji has argued that the online registration without presenting the vendor and vendee was a clear violation of section 34 of Registration Act and also a violation of Article 300. He argued that there was every possibility that the vendors might threaten and forcibly execute the documents and complete the registration.

After hearing both the parties, the court served notices on the respondents to file the counter in three weeks.