Maharashtra has made prior scrutiny by senior registration officials mandatory for property documents submitted for registration outside the taluka where the property is located, tightening the process under the state’s one district one registration scheme.
A revenue department circular issued on October 12 requires a joint sub-registrar receiving such a document to attach a request for permission to register it. The document must then be reviewed and forwarded, along with the sub-registrar’s opinion on whether it is fit for registration, to the joint district registrar within two days.
The scrutiny is intended to identify possible stamp duty evasion, undervaluation and legal encumbrances before the registration is completed. The changes were reported by Times of India – Pune, which cited state registration officials on the purpose and operation of the revised procedure.
The one district one registration scheme allows property documents to be registered at offices across a district instead of restricting registration to the jurisdiction where the property is located. The new requirement introduces an additional review when a transaction is presented outside the relevant taluka.
Under the circular, the joint sub-registrar must examine the document and send it to the joint district registrar with an assessment of its suitability for registration. The circular provides the reviewing officials two days to complete this step. The report did not specify whether the new scrutiny would involve additional fees or how applicants would be notified during the review.
The procedure will not apply to agreements and sale deeds involving projects registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act when the properties are located outside the taluka. It will also not be required for registered documents that do not involve a change in ownership.
The change comes as the state seeks to address irregularities associated with property transactions conducted under the district-wide registration arrangement. The stated concerns include attempts to avoid the appropriate stamp duty, declare properties at values below their assessed worth and register documents despite legal encumbrances.
The revised process could affect buyers and sellers who choose a registration office outside the taluka in which a property is located. Such transactions will now require the involvement of the joint district registrar before registration can proceed, although the circular-based report did not detail the expected effect on completion times beyond the two-day review period.
The state government is also directing the land records and registration departments to work out a mechanism that could allow buyers to have land or buildings measured before registering a sale. The report described this as a proposed pre-purchase survey facility, but did not provide a timeline, operating framework or details of how the survey would be requested and conducted.
The next step is for the land records and registration departments to develop the mechanism for pre-purchase measurement, while registration offices implement the prior scrutiny requirement for documents presented outside the property’s taluka.
