Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, KK Sharma today met with the representatives of the Jammu Bar Association, here at the High Court Complex.
He was accompanied by Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Financial Commissioner Revenue J&K, who is also holding the charge of Inspector General of Registration in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
IGP, Jammu, Mukesh Singh; Abhinav Sharma, President Jammu Bar Association; Office bearers of Jammu Bar Association and various Senior and Junior Advocates were also present.
While interacting with the members of the Bar Association, the Advisor stated that the powers of the registration have been vested to the Revenue Officers in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in line with the practice in the rest of the country, under the Central Registration Act, 1908.
“It is also a step towards having a ‘Uniform Registration System’ in the country and for integrating it with the Digitization of the Land Records and the Registration of the transactions pertaining to the land and other immovable property in the country, he maintained.
Jammu Bar Association projected its demands seeking that the office premises of Sub-Registrars of Jammu City should be clubbed and located at a place nearer to the High Court Complex for the convenience of the Lawyers, who have to attend the normal courts and get the registration done at the respective Sub-Registrar Offices as well.
The representatives of the Lawyers said that these Sub-Registrar offices should be located in the premises of JDA Complex, where court of the Special Tribunal is functioning, and is nearer to the High Court Complex.
The Bar members also demanded that circular instructions of the High Court, issued in the past, when the powers of IG Registration were vested in it, providing that drafting and vetting of deeds shall be done by qualified and licensed Lawyers, be continued.
Responding to the demands, Advisor Sharma assured that every effort will be made to provide a suitable building for registration offices near High Court Complex and District Courts for the convenience of the general public as well as Lawyers community.
Sharma said that the building would be considered for housing the offices of Sub-Registrars of Jammu city, if sufficient accommodation is found available there.
About the demand of drafting and vetting, the Advisor said it will remain with the Lawyers as is the practice across the country. “Whenever anyone has to get any legal document like registration of sale deed of immovable property, will deed, partnership deed, or registration of any testamentary and non-testamentary documents done under the Registration Act, these will always go to the qualified and licensed Lawyers and that he does not see that their role has diminished” he added.
The FC Revenue, while speaking on the occasion, said that the government has created a full-fledged Department of Registration comprising of 77 Sub-Registrars and 20 Registrars and their supporting staff involving creation of around 466 posts for the convenience of the general public and that of the Lawyer community, who render valuable services in the registration process. He further said that the Government has decided to appoint 26 full-time Sub-Registrars, 4 each in Jammu/Srinagar city and one each at the Districts of the remaining 18 District Headquarters.
The FC further emphasized that Lawyers’ community has a very important role in ensuring correct and proper registration of various deeds. He assured the Lawyers that they shall continue to play role in the registration process as they were doing earlier.
He, however, allayed the apprehension of the Lawyers that their practice would be affected with the introduction of new system.
The FC said that no such copy of Circular instructions has yet been provided to the Government by the Bar Association, which may be provided and that it shall be duly considered by the Government in light of the provisions and norms of the Registration Act.
The Advisor appealed the members of Jammu Bar Association to call off their strike in the interest of people, who are suffering due to the strike. He assured that the government shall make sincere efforts to address their genuine concerns and hoped that the Bar would call off strike and trust the government for implementation of the assurances and move forward on the issue to ensure transparent, efficient and modern registration system in the UT of J&K in which the lawyers will have to play a significant and important role.