HC orders keeping of complaint boxes at every Sub-Registrar office

Telangana High Court directed the Inspector General, Stamps and Registration and the Joint Sub-Registrar-I of Rangareddy district to file a report in sealed cover over the allegations that the staff of the latter allegedly demanded bribe to register the sale deed of an open plot at Kondapur.

The order was passed after hearing a writ petition filed by a software employee P. Ramya Sri and a retired Brigadier V.S.R. Krishnamohan seeking an instruction to the Stamps and Registration officials to declare refusal to register their document relating to sale and purchase of the plot. The petitioners contended that the Joint Sub-Registrar-I of Rangareddy district neither registered nor allotted pending registration number to the document they had presented on October 11.

The petitioners’ counsel presented a copy of the WhatsApp conversation based on which the petitioners alleged that officers concerned Laxman Redy, Sai and a document writer of the Sub-Registrar office demanded ₹2 lakh as bribe. The Joint Sub-Registrar, who appeared before the Bench following the HC’s direction earlier, submitted to the court that the petitioners had not presented any documents. “...and therefore the question of receiving or processing the document does not arise”, the officer informed the HC through the government counsel.

The officer also told the court that the petitioners’ allegation of refusal to register the document was far from truth. He maintained that he was on leave on the day the petitioners presented the document and furnished a copy of the application for casual leave which was attested by the District Registrar.

Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar observed in the order that earlier the HC in Writ Petition no. 16836 of 2024 issued guidelines in the matter based on which the Commissioner and Inspector General of Registration and Stamps issued a memo on August 12, instructing all the Sub-Registrars to maintain a register which shall be kept open to citizens visiting the office to record their purpose of visit for future reference.

“In spite of the direction, it appears that the registration process and administration has not been completely streamlined,” the judge observed. The judge instructed the Commissioner of Registration and Stamps to initiate steps to maintain a complaint/grievance box which is to be placed in a conspicuous place of the Sub-Registrar office concerned so that people can drop their complaints or grievances.

Higher officials should examine, enquire into the complaints and take steps in accordance with law. Citizens lodging complaints should keep a copy of the same for future reference, the judge said. The Commissioner should periodically check the maintenance of the complaint boxes. Strict action should be taken against the erring officers as per the complaints made by the public, the order said. The matter was posted to December 10 for next hearing.

Published - November 15, 2024 08:58 pm IST