Kerala government lifts ban on property registration at homes
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has lifted the temporary ban on property registration at houses. The ban, introduced as a COVID-19 precautionary measure in April, hit senior citizens who needed to transact their properties. The reverse quarantine norms prevented them from visiting sub-registrar offices (SRO) as well.
A circular issued by the registration department on Wednesday said registrations outside an SRO can be conducted in strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol. “Also, the government has allowed those above the age of 60 to visit SROs in non-containment zones,” it said.
Property registrations outside sub-registrar offices is permitted in extraordinary situations, wherein the seller is seriously ill or in jail. In such cases, registration will be allowed in three places -- residence of the seller, the hospital where he is admitted or the jail where he is detained.
The department’s decision to reverse the temporary ban came in the backdrop of resentment among officers over the suspension of a sub-registrar at Kattappana in Idukki recently.
The woman officer was suspended after she insisted that a cancer patient come to her office, which is on the third floor of the building.
She even rejected his request to go near his vehicle, which was parked in the office compound, to get his fingerprint and record the registration. The patient died a few days later.
The issue invited widespread criticism on social media, following which Registration Minister G Sudhakaran suspended the officer. Sudhakaran said the officer’s act brought disrepute to the office.
“She could have acted out of humanitarian concern and conducted the registration near his vehicle, which was parked in the office compound. Her office is not confined to the room in which she sits. The organisation that protested against the officer’s suspension is ignoring the public good,” he told TNIE.
However, a section of officers are unhappy claiming that the sub-registrar was suspended for no fault of hers. “The law clearly states that registration is to be conducted in the SRO or three other specified places.
The register is regarded sacrosanct to prevent manipulations. Even in cases of outside registration, the thumb impression register cannot be carried along.
Extraordinary situations
Property registrations outside sub-registrar offices is permitted in extraordinary situations, wherein the seller is seriously ill or in jail. In such cases, registration will be allowed in three places - residence of seller, the hospital where he is admitted or the jail where he is detained.