Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has passed an important order in a land transaction-related case, directing the state government to immediately remove the list of prohibited properties from the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) portal. Justice Rajesh Shankar observed that since the Division Bench of the High Court had already struck down Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908, and related provisions, citizens cannot be subjected to restrictions on the basis of these invalidated provisions. The order is expected to provide relief to numerous landowners whose property registrations were being blocked because their lands appeared on the prohibited list.
The case arose from a petition filed by Amit Ranjan, a resident of Hazaribagh, seeking removal of his land from the prohibited list prepared under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908. During the hearing, the Advocate General informed the court that the state government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court and was also considering introducing a new law. However, the court clarified that until a new law is enacted or a competent court issues a stay order, citizens' rights cannot be restricted on the basis of provisions that have already been struck down.
The High Court directed the state government to immediately delete the prohibited land list uploaded on the NGDRS portal. It further clarified that if a document complies with the provisions of the Registration Act, 1908, and the Jharkhand Registration Rules, 1937, the Sub-Registrars are obligated to register the concerned sale deed. Registration cannot be refused merely on the ground of a dispute over ownership title. The court also directed the Secretary of the Department of Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms to immediately issue a circular to all District Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to ensure strict compliance with the order.
