BENGALURU: The state government’s newly introduced paperless e-registration system under Kaveri software has triggered concerns over property security, with licensed document writers alleging that the new process leaves room for fraud, hacking and land grabbing.
Members of the Karnataka State Stamps and Registration Department Authorised Licensed Document Writers’ Union raised the concern at a press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.
The association said the paperless registration model, piloted in Chamarajanagar district from April 30, has removed the requirement for physical signatures of buyers, sellers, witnesses and document preparers, replacing them with OTP-based authentication and digital signatures of officials.
According to the association, one of the biggest concerns is that buyers are not being given original registered documents, with records remaining only in digital lockers. They argued that this could create difficulties in proving ownership, transferring property to heirs and securing loans against property.
Union vice-president N Naveen Kumar said, “People invest their lifetime savings in buying property. But under this system, they are not getting original documents. Without physical records and signatures, there is a serious risk of fraud and illegal transfer of properties.”
The association also claimed that the system could be misused by land mafia and hackers, especially as multiple OTP verifications and the absence of physical verification create security concerns. They argued that the new process makes it difficult for legal practitioners and document writers to verify ownership documents before registration.
The union alleged that the government had ignored multiple representations submitted to the Department of Stamps and Registration, Karnataka and warned that if corrective measures were not taken, they would launch a protest at Freedom Park.
Union leaders, including General Secretary Dharmaraj V Ekkakote, Joint Secretaries Karibasappa Balli and E Krishnamurthy, Treasurer DR Giriraju and other office-bearers, were present at the press conference.
