Palani temple land row: Panel to examine accused registrar's past deeds

CHENNAI: The Registration Department has ordered a special audit of all documents registered during the tenure of suspended Palani Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan Subramanian, who is in the dock for illegally registering 1.4 acres of Palani temple land, marking a significant escalation in its scrutiny of alleged irregularities in property registrations.

In an official order, the department directed that every document registered from February 5, 2024, the day Justin Manikandan assumed charge as sub-registrar in the Palani registration district, until the date of his suspension be examined comprehensively.

The department has constituted a six-member special audit committee headed by Tirunelveli Deputy Inspector General of Registration Swaminathan to carry out the exercise. The other members are Sivaganga Assistant Inspector General of Registration Srinivasan, Salem West Sub-Registrar Geetha, Virudhunagar Sub-Registrar Khaja Mohaideen, Virudhunagar Sub-Registrar Office Assistant Mohanraj and Muthukrishnan, an assistant attached to the office of the Tirunelveli Deputy Inspector General of Registration.

The committee has been asked to scrutinise all registrations made during the specified period, with particular focus on whether any documents were registered in violation of Section 22A of the Registration Act, which prohibits the registration of certain categories of properties.

"The committee shall conduct a special audit of all documents registered during the period, ascertain whether there were violations of Section 22A of the Registration Act, assess any loss caused, and submit its report within three days," the department said in its order.

The audit is also expected to quantify any financial or administrative loss allegedly caused during Justin Manikandan's tenure and recommend appropriate follow-up action based on its findings.