Observing that “it is within public knowledge that the registration department is one of the most corrupt departments in the State,” the Madras High Court has posed about 10 questions to the secretary of the department as well as the Director General of Police on measures already taken and those that could be taken in the future to curb the menace.
Passing interim orders on a writ petition, Justice N. Kirubakaran said: “Without bribe money, nothing will move [in registration department offices] and the people who had the experience of visiting the registration office would know it. Even the latest raid conducted in the registration offices, a month ago, yielded huge sums of corrupt money.
“When the purchasing power of the people has gone up and their salary has increased, people tend to purchase properties and that is the reason why the number of registrations in sub-registrar’s offices have increased. Since a number of documents are being registered everyday, it is necessary for the DVAC (the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption) to keep a vigil on those offices.”
After taking note of submissions made across the bar that several touts had been engaged in registration offices to collect bribes on behalf of the sub-registrars in order avoid being caught on closed circuit television cameras installed in those offices, the judge said: “These corrupt practices would only go to show that all is not well with the registration department.”
Wide-ranging questions
He then went on to direct the secretary of the registration department and the DGP to answer 10 questions: “Whether the respondents are aware that the registrars and other officials of the registration department are employing third parties to collect money over and above the amount payable for registration of documents?
“Have higher officials carried out any inspection or raid in this regard so far? If raids have been conducted, then how many such raids have been conducted over the past 10 years? Whether any money had been seized during such raids? If so, details should be furnished for the past 10 years with regard to the quantum of seized money.
“How many cases have been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and how many persons have been arrested? If any departmental action has been taken against the erring officials, what is the result of the departmental action, so taken, pursuant to seizure of corrupt money?
“If third parties have been employed for collecting money, what are the steps taken by the respondents to do away with such illegal system of collecting money, including arrest of those touts? Whether the registrars are filing their assets every year to the authorities concerned and whether any officer has been charged for having been in possession of disproportionate wealth during service?
“Why don’t the registration department install a ‘digital login system’ so that only the officials/staff working in the said department could enter the office preventing access to third parties?
“When there is a decision of court that three weeks’ time would be the maximum time limit for registering and returning the document, why did the Pammal sub-registrar retain the documents of the present writ petitioner for more than one year?”
Answers to the 10 questions were ordered to be submitted to the court by December 4.
