The Gazetteers Department

UNDER THE INDIAN REGISTRATION ACT (XVI OF 1908), compulsory registration is required in the case of certain documents and optional registration is provided for certain other documents. As a rule fees are levied for such registrations, but the State Government have exempted co-operative societies registered under the Bombay Cooperative Societies Act (VII of 1925). Certain types of societies such as the urban credit societies, central financing agencies and housing societies (formed of persons belonging to classes other than agriculturists or backward communities) enjoy restricted exemption in respect of certain documents involving a certain prescribed consideration. (For documents with higher than the prescribed consideration, fees have to be paid.) All other cooperative societies enjoy unrestricted exemption. Similarily, copies of awards under the Bombay Agricultural Debtors' Relief Act (XXVIII of 1947); certificates of purchase issued by an Agricultural Lands Tribunal under sub-section (3) of section 17 or sub-section (6) of section 17-B or sub-section (a) of section 32-M of Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948; certificates of exchange issued by the Mamlatdar under sub-section (2) of section 33 of the said Act; and certificates under the Bombay Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1947, arc also registered free of registration fees.

Marriages under the Parsi Marriages and Divorce Act (III of 1936), the Bombay Registration of Marriages Act, 1953 (Bom. V of 1954) and marriages under the Special Marriage Act (XLIII of 1954) are also registered.

In 1957, there were in all 15 Sub-registries in the Jalgaon district at Amalner, Bhadgaon, Bhusawal, Chalisgaon, Chopda, Edlabad, Erandol-I, Erandol-II (Dharangaon), Jalgaon, Jamner, Pachora, Parola, Raver, Savda, Yawal.

Inspector-General of Registration.

An independent post of the Inspector-General of Registration is created with effect from 3rd July, 1958 and he performs the following duties in addition to his own duties: —

(1) Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(2) Chief Controlling Stamp Authority under the Hyderabad Stamp Act in the Marathwada region of the Maharashtra State.

District Registrar.

The Collector of Jalgaon district is the ex-officio District Registrar. The Registration Unit is separate from the Revenue Staff, but the District Registrar has powers of supervision over the entire district registration staff. The Sub-Registrars are appointed by the Inspector-General of Registration, but the District Registrar has powers to make such appointments in temporary vacancies.

The District Registrar is required to carry out the instructions of the Inspector-General of Registration in all departmental matters and if he has any suggestions to make for the improvement of the registration system, he submits them to the Inspector-General of Registration. The District Registrar solves the difficulties encountered by the Sub-Registrars in the course of their day-to-day work. He visits the Sub-registry offices in the district, at least once in every two years and sends his memoranda of inspection to the Inspector-General. He hears appeals and applications referred to him under sections 72 and 73 of the Indian Registration Act (XVI of 1908). against refusal to register documents by the Sub-Registrars under him. Under sections 25 and 34 of the same Act, he is empowered to condone delays in presentation of documents and appearance of executants provided that the delay does not exceed four months, and to direct the documents concerned to be registered on payment of fine not. exceeding ten times the proper registration fees. He is also competent to order refunds in the case of surcharges and to grant full or partial remission of safe custody fees in suitable cases. A will or codicil may be deposited with him under a sealed cover and it may be got registered at the cost of the party desiring it, after the depositor's death. He is also authorised to receive declarations under the Muslim Personnel (Shariat) Application Act (XXVI of 1937) and to register births and deaths under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (VI of 1886).

Sub-Registrars.

The Sub-Registrars are immediately subordinate to the District Registrar. Their chief function is to register documents which fulfil prescribed requirement and for which the required stamp duty and registration fee arc paid. The Sub-Registrar keeps a record of such registered documents and sends to officers concerned extracts from documents affecting immovable property in respect of which a Record-of-Rights is maintained, for making mutations therein. On application by parties, he issues certified copies from the preserved records of registered documents. The Sub-Registrar of Jalgaon and Pachora are authorised to perform the duties of the Registrar under section 30 (1) of Indian Registration Act (I. G. R.'s No. I-Karad, dared 18th July, 1942).

Every Sub-Registrar is an ex-officio Registrar of Parsi Marriages under the Parsi Marriages and Divorce Act (III of 1936), and Registrar of Marriages under the Bombay Registration of Marriages Act, 1953 (Bom. V of 1954). The Sub-Registrar working as Headquarter Sub-Registrar at Jalgaon is vested with powers of solemnising marriages tinder the Special Marriages Act (XLIII of 1954). He is also vested with powers under the Muslim Personnel (Shariat) Application Act (XXVI of 1937). He is further the ex-officio Assistant Registrar of Companies and Registrar of Births and Deaths under Act VI of 1886. The principle of the department is to utilise, as far as possible, the spare time of the Sub-Registrars in the slack seasons, and to entrust them with some responsible work of other departments. He is appointed as Notary Public for Jalgaon district and is also required to do work relating to all stamp matters under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, in pursuance of Government Resolution, Revenue Department, No. 1439/49, dated 17th July. 1951, which was previously done by the Collector's Office.

The work of the Sub-Registrars is inspected by the Inspector of registration, Nasik Division (comprising Nasik, Jalgaon, Dhulia and Kolaba districts) and the District Registrar and the inspection memoranda drawn up by these officers arc scrutinised by the Inspector-General of Registration. The Prant Ofiicers also inspect the Sab registries and and submit their inspection reports to the District Registrar, who forwards them to the Inspector-General of Registration,if they contain anything of importance or interest deserving the notice of the Inspector-General of Registration.

Inspector of Registration.

The Inspector of Registration is directly subordinate to the inspector-General and does not exercise any administrative control over the registration offices. He is not a subordinate of the District Registrar. His duty is mainly confined to the inspection of the technical work of the registration offices, including the general record, and to audit their accounts. He inspects the books in the central office of the record and reports to the District Registrar about their condition so that any records which are in danger of being destroyed may be re-copied and authenticated according to law. The Inspector examines the books, indexes, accounts and other records in the offices of the Sub-Registrars once a year and he sends one copy of his memorandum of inspection to the District Registrar and another to the Inspector-General (for approval). The Inspector-General passes orders in respect of such memoranda adding his own remarks or suggestions, if any, for being complied with by the Sub-Registrars concerned.

Statistics.

The average annual income of the Jalgaon Registration district is Rs. 1.62,680 and the average annual expenditure is Rs. 73,398 (based on the figures for the triennium 1955 to 1957). The copying of the registered documents is done in eleven offices by means of photography and in the remaining four offices by hand. In all, 23.025 documents were registered in the district during 1957. Of these 21,536 documents, falling under compulsory registration, were of the aggregate value of Rs. 15,61,578 and 662 documents affecting moveable property were of the aggregate value of Rs. 89.808 and 169 were wills. Seven hundred and fifty-five memoranda of marriages were registered under the Bombay Registration of Marriages Act (V of 1954) and 11 marriages were solemnised under the Special Marriages Act (XLIII of 1954).

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