DVAC told to keep vigil on ‘corrupt’ registration department

Justice N Kirubakaran on suo motu impleading the Secretary, Commercial Taxes and Registration Department and the DGP in the case sought details on the action taken to do away with the illegal system of collecting money including the arrest of those ‘touts’ created to bypass the CCTV cameras in the Registration offices. 

Observing that if the case projected before this court is to be believed, then the situation prevailing in Registrars’ offices, cannot be appreciated, said, “Only with a view to restrict corruption, if any, the novel idea of CCTV cameras was implemented in the Registration offices. But that attempt seems to have been successfully frustrated by the employment of third parties otherwise called as ‘middlemen’ or ‘touts’ to collect bribe for registering documents.” 

The matter pertains to T Boopathy of Alandur moving the court seeking to direct the sub registrar, Pammal to release the documents presented for registration a year ago. He had noted that despite paying the correct stamp duty, the documents were not registered.

The counsel, N Suresh, appearing for the petitioner submitted that officials in a bid to circumvent the CCTV camera, have engaged third parties to collect bribes from people for registering documents. 

The counsel also listed the names of middlemen at the sub-registrar’s office in Pammal and the details of the so called ‘gifts’. 

Justice Kirubakaran on observing that if the list is to be believed, a person cannot register a document, without payment of Rs 1 lakh as bribe for registering a ground, said, “Though the people are under the mistaken impression that our country has not advanced, they will change their opinion after seeing this scientific way of corruption. These corrupt practices, would only go to show that, all is not well with the Registration Deparments, if the allegations made by the petitioner are true.” The case has been posted for December 4.

The judge also sought the newly included respondents to answer the 10 questions raised by him including whether the registrars are filing their assets every year and whether any officer has been charged for being in possession of disproportionate wealth during service.