
BENGALURU: For the past three weeks, a bizarre situation has unfolded across 10 sub-registrar offices in Bengaluru and one in Mangaluru. Fourteen sub-registrars from the Stamps and Registration Department report to work daily, only to sit the entire day idle before returning home. The reason -- despite a High Court order cancelling their transfers and ordering their reinstatement, the department refuses to give them login access to their systems, leaving them without any work.
These officials continue to report to duty at their offices at Kengeri, Gandhi Nagar, Indiranagar, Banashankari, Srirampura, Byatarayanapura, Srirampura, Jigni, Devanahalli and Basavanagudi in Bengaluru, and one in Mangaluru.
Highly-placed department sources conceded that this situation has been going on for quite some time. “The affected sub-registrars also repeatedly visit the head office at Kandaya Bhavan requesting their reinstatement. There are two sub-registrars for each post now with just one of them working. However, public work has not been impacted as those transferred in their place from different districts are carrying out their duties,” he said.
“Though the posts of those transferred from the district remain vacant as these 14 people have not joined their new places, clerical staff like the Second Division Assistant and First Division Assistant have taken over the duties of the sub-registrar in these districts,” the sources explained.
Speaking on behalf of the impacted officers, a sub-registrar told TNIE, “The department is completely misinterpreting orders of the high court. Twenty four of us were transferred out of Bengaluru to different districts on December 10, 2024. While ten of us opted to move out and joined the new postings, 13 of us spread across different offices in the city and one in Mangaluru are unable to leave and shift suddenly as numerous arrangements need to be made for our families. We filed a petition in the high court and the court has issued an interim order staying our transfers.”
The court on December 16 ordered those transferred out of Bengaluru be reinstated. “However, the department has not done so. Meanwhile, sub-registrars from other districts, including offices in Jewargi, Channarayapatna, Haveri and Srirangapatna, have been posted here and they have joined duty too. They are doing our work. We approached the HC again and on December 21 and 23 last year, it pulled up the Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps, KA Dayananda, and told him he was indulging in contempt of court. On January 15, the HC asked him why we were denied login access and we be allowed to work. He sought two days to submit a report. It has been eight days and nothing has happened,” he explained.
The Inspector General did not respond to multiple calls in this connection. The High Court, meanwhile, will have another hearing on Friday over the issue.