Amend Sec 52 of Transfer of Property Act: Lok Satta

Warangal: District Lok Satta leaders demanded the State government to come up with an amendment to Section 52 of Transfer of Property Act, 1982, on the lines of governments in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The government should bring an amendment to Section 52 and Sections 17 and 18 of Indian Registration Act, 1908 notifying the buyer of pending litigation on immovable property a person was buying, said Lok Satta Advisor Parcha Kodandarama Rao.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Wednesday, Kodandarama Rao said that whether a buyer was aware or not about a pending litigation on the property that he or she bought, the person would inadvertently be subject to court’s decision. Information about the pending suits must be accessible to the buyers to avoid such things, he added.

Lack of such mechanism has been forcing the general public to get into unwanted legal battles, which in turn, would lead to pendency of litigation in courts, Kodandarama Rao lamented. He said the amendment would help in protecting the buyers of land from getting into litigations unknowingly while expressing concern over innocent purchasers of immovable properties being cheated by land mafia across the State.

He explained that even as persons from the middle class and poor economic background pay sizeable amount towards stamp duty and registration fee while buying a property. However, the government does not guarantee the title of land. The State government should guarantee a clear title, he added.

The State government collects about Rs 4,219.99 crore annually through stamp duty and registration fee. Hence, it becomes its duty to protect the rights of the purchasers and to reduce unnecessary litigations, he added.