The Andhra Pradesh government has officially canceled the authority of village and ward secretariats to conduct property registrations, a decision originally implemented during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration.
Under Section 7 of the Registration Act, the YSRCP government had granted these local secretariats the status of joint sub-registrar offices, allowing them to register lands, especially for the beneficiaries of the government’s housing scheme for the poor.
This registration process became controversial due to political issues, especially with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s image appearing on registration documents, which rendered these documents invalid. Furthermore, the involvement of Panchayat Secretaries in the registration process led to political pressure and disputes over rightful land ownership, resulting in many complaints during the YSRCP regime.
Upon taking office, the new TDP-led coalition government, under Chandrababu Naidu, promptly addressed these issues. In August 2024, the government had already stopped registrations in these secretariats and has now released a GO (Government Order) officially reversing the previous policy.
The new government cited concerns over the security of people’s properties and the invalidation of documents as key reasons for this reversal, aiming to restore trust in the land registration process and prevent further disputes.
