Registration Act of presenting documents for registration

32. Persons to present documents for registration.- Except in the cases mentioned in sections 31, 88 and 89, every documents to be registered under this Act, whether such registration be compulsory or optional, shall be presented at the proper registration office, -

(a) by some person executing or claiming under the same or, in the case a copy of a decree or order, claiming under the decree or order, or

(b) by the representative or assign of such person, or

(c) by the agent of such person, representative or assign, duly authorised by power of attorney executed and authenticated in manner hereinafter mentioned.

1[32A. Compulsory affixing of photograph, etc. – Every person presenting any document at the proper registration-office under section 32 shall affix his passport size photograph and fingerprints to the document:

Provided that where such documents relates to the transfer of ownership of immovable property, the passport size photographed and fingerprints of each buyer and seller of such property mentioned in the document shall also be affixed to the document.]

1. Ins. By the Registration and Other Related Laws(Amendment) Act,2001,sec.5.

33. Power of attorney recognizable for purposes of section 32.- (1) For the purposes of section 32, the following power-of-attorney shall alone be recognised, namely :

(a) if the principal at the time of executing the power-of-attorney resides in any part of India in which this Act is for the time being in force, a power-of-atorney executed before and authenticated by the Registrar or Sub-Registrar within whose district or sub-district the principal resides ;

(b) If the principal at the time aforesaid resides in any part of India, in which this Act is not in force, a power-of-attorney executed before and authenticated by any Magistrate ;

(c) If the principal at the time aforesaid does not reside in India a power-of-attorney executed before and authenticated by a Notary Public, or any Court, Judge, Magistrate, Indian Consul or Vice-Consul, or representative, of the Central Government :

Provided that the following persons shall not be required to attend at any registration office or Court for the purpose of executing any such power-of-attorney as is mentioned in clause (a) and (b) of this section, namely :

(i) Persons who by reason of bodily infirmity are unable without risk or serious inconvenience so to attend ;

(ii) persons who are in jail under civil or criminal process;

and

(iii) persons exempt by law from personal appearance in Court.

Explanation. -In this sub-section, "India" means India, as defined in clause (28) of section 3 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 (X of 1897)

(2) In the case of every such person the Registrar or Sub-Registrar or Magistrate, as the case may be, if satisfied that the power-of-attorney has been voluntarily executed by the person purporting to be the principal, may attest the same without requiring his personal attendance at the office or court aforesaid.

(3) To obtain evidence as to the voluntary nature of the execution, the Registrar or Sub-Registrar or Magistrate may either himself go to the house of the person purporting to be the principal, or to the jail in which he is confined, and examine him, or issue a commission for his examination.

(4) Any power-of-attorney mentioned in this section may be proved by the production of it without further proof when it purports on the face of it to have been executed before and authenticated by the person or Court hereinbefore mentioned in that behalf.

34. Enquiry before registration by registering officer. - (1) Subject to the provisions contained in this Part and in sections 41, 43, 45, 69, 75, 77, 88 and 89, no document shall be registered under this Act, unless the persons executing such document, or their representatives, assigns or agents authorised as aforesaid, appear before the registering officer within the time allowed for presentation under sections 23, 24, 25 and 26 :

Provided that, if owing to urgent necessity or unavoidable accident all such persons do not so appear, the Regisrar, in cases where the delay in appearing does not exceed four months, may direct that on payment of a fine not exceeding ten times the amount of the proper registration fee, in addition to the fine, if any, payable under section 25, the document may be registered.

(2) Appearances under sub-section (1) may be simultaneous or at different times.

(3) The regitering officer shall thereupon -

(a) enquire whether or not such document was executed by the person by whom it purports to have been executed ;

(b) satisfy himself as to the identity of the persons appearing before him and alleging that they have executed the document; and

(c) in the case of any person appearing as a representative, assign or agent, satisfy himself of the right of such person so to appear.

(4) Any application for a direction under the proviso to sub-section (1) may be lodged with a Sub-Registrar, who shall forthwith forward it to the Registrar to whom he is subordinate.

(5) Nothing in this section aplies to copies of decrees or orders.

35. Procedure on admission and denial of execution respectively. - (1) (a) If all the persons executing the document appear personally before the registering officer and are personally known to him, or if he be otherwise satisfied that they are the persons they represent themselves to be, and if they all admit the execution of the document, or

(b) If in the case of any person appearing by a representative, assign or agent, such representative, assign or agent admits the execution, or

(c) If the person executing the document is dead, and his representative or assign appears before the registering officer and admits the execution, the registering officer shall register the document as directed in sections 58 to 61, inclusive.

(2) The registering officer may, in order to satisfy himself that the persons appearing before him are the persons they represent themselves to be, or for any other purpose contemplated by this Act examine any one present in this office.

(3) (a) If any person by whom the document purports to be executed denies its execution, or

(b) if any such person appears to the registering officer to be a minor, an idiot, or a lunatic, or

(c) if any person by whom the document purports to be executed is dead, and his representative or assign denies its execution,

the registering officer shall refuse to register the document as to the person so denying, appearing or dead :

Provided that where such officer is a Registrar, he shall follow the procedure prescribed in part XII :

Provided further that the State Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare that any Sub-Registrar named in the notification shall in respect of documents, the execution of which is denied, be deemed to be a Registrar for the purposes of this sub-section and of Part XII.