Government Must Ensure Implementation Of Delhi Online Registration System For Document Preservation: High Court

The Delhi High while perusing the affidavit submitted by Principal Secretary, (Revenue), GNCTD in a matter of lost documents directed the Delhi Government to ensure that the necessary systems and cloud service is made available to all the Sub-Registrars’ offices so that the documents can be preserved.

A Single Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh directed that Principal Secretary (Revenue), GNCTD shall be personally responsible to ensure implementation of the Delhi Online Registration System (DORIS) for document preservation.

In January 2023, a petition was filed seeking directions to inquire about missing records from the Sub-Registrar-III's office in Delhi. The records pertained to the execution and registration of lands owned by Monk Estates Pvt. Ltd. An FIR was registered in 2019 after a 14-year delay. The court had expressed serious concerns about the missing records and directed authorities to investigate the matter seriously.

In February 2023, the concerned Sub-Registrar filed a status report stating that only a Lost Report had been registered in 2019, but no investigation was conducted. The court had also sought detailed information about the DORIS system used for document registration and directed the Principal Secretary (Revenue) to ensure its effective implementation in all Sub-Registrar offices. Dissatisfied with the report, the court had directed the Sub-Registrar and PS-Daryaganj to conduct a proper investigation and convert the report into an FIR.

Advocate Rachna Aggarwal appeared for the appeared for the petitioners and Advocate Avishkar Singhvi appeared for the Respondents.

Counsel for the Respondents submitted that the reconstruction of documents had been done and certified copies of the documents had been received by the Petitioners.

The Court after perusing the affidavit submitted doubted that although a system has been designed, it is not clear as to whether the same is implemented fully. The Court thus instructed the GNCTD to continue the investigation into the missing records and register an FIR if necessary.

“Insofar implementation of the DORIS systems is concerned, the GNCTD is directed to ensure that the necessary systems and cloud service is made available to all the Sub-Registrars’ offices so that the documents can be preserved without a situation as arose in the present case being repeated. For the said purpose the Principal Secretary (Revenue), GNCTD shall be personally responsible to ensure implementation of the DORIS system.”

With these directions, the Court disposed of the petition.

Cause title: Monk Estates Private Limited & Anr. v. Government of NCT of Delhi & Ors.

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