Change in Registration Act likely to mention ‘daughter’

NEW DELHI: The government has proposed a small but significant change in the British-era Registration Act of 1908. The act, which allowed the registration of authorities to adopt sons, will now also explicitly include daughters. Government officials say that until now, the word "son" in the Act was understood to include "daughters" as well. "With the girl child not getting her due in various spheres of life, including property rights, education and healthcare, it was felt that one shouldn’t just take it for granted but specify it," a senior government official told ET.

The Act had been passed to consolidate laws related to the registration of documents and its administration was transferred to the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development. The registration of deeds and documents is a concurrent subject and the government has proposed a number of amendments through the Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2013.

"Since 2005, daughters have equal rights over property. This could make sure that an adopted girl is not left out as an heir. It is an important step to bring into practice the amended law of 2005," said Ram Singh, an associate professor at the Delhi School of Economics.

The Standing Committee on Rural Development has said the registration of not just the authorities to adopt a son or daughter, but also the adoption deed be made compulsory. The changes would be made in section 17 of the act, which deals with documents that need to be compulsorily registered.

The computerisation of land records, issuance of digitally signed documents, biometrics, centralised data bases and online payments had made it necessary for the Act to be amended. The changes are expected to introduce new techniques in the registration process, making it faster, transparent and accurate. The latest standing committee’s report on the bill said the changes would not only "facilitate the citizens in availing the technologically advanced services but also give avenues to the states for generating more revenues."

Through the amendments, the government wants to centralise the land records database to reduce disputes and prevent fraudulent transactions of immovable property.