Kerala High Court: The Bench of Alexander Thomas, J. set aside an order passed by Tahsildar vide which petitioners’ request for transfer of registry and mutation was rejected, holding the same to be ultra vires and illegal.
Petitioners’ herein were the donee of gift deeds executed by their respective mothers – Meenakshi Amma and Narayani Amma. The respondent rejected their request for transfer of registry and mutation in their names on the ground that Narayani Amma and Meenakshi Amma had got right over the subject property on the basis of a registered gift deed executed by their mother. The said deed specifically stipulated that the subject property therein was to be possessed as ancestral property and its rights would devolve only on female descendants. Thus, the Tahsildar opined that transfer of registry sought for by the petitioners could not be done as Meenakshi Amma and Narayani Amma did not have the right to alienate property going by the descriptions and stipulations in gift deed.
The Court opined that Tahsildar had no power whatsoever to decide on the title of the parties concerned. When the concerned Sub-Registrar had duly registered gift deeds in favour of the petitioners under the Registration Act, 1908 then the respondent could not have refused mutation and transfer of registry on basis of his opinion. Determinations of vexed issues of the title are issues falling within the exclusive jurisdiction of a civil court.
In view of the above, the petition was allowed directing the respondent to take necessary steps for the transfer of registry and mutation in favour of the petitioners.[Marunnoli Vijayalakshmi v. Tahsildar, Koyilandi Taluk, 2018 SCC OnLine Ker 7425, Order dated 13-12-2018]