HC notice to registrar on Rs 100 cr corruption allegations

TNN | Updated: Nov 5, 2017, 00:13 IST

Chennai: A registrar may face probe by a special investigation team (SIT), as the Madras high court has admitted a PIL in this regard, and has also issued notices.

It is, in fact, a double whammy for the registrar — P Sivapriya — whose transfer out of South Chennai district had already been stayed by Justice N Kirubakaran, who unearthed illegalities worth several crores of rupees in the registration of a big chunk of land on Pallikaranai marshland.

The land documents registered by Sivapriya a few years ago showed that the vendor Chandra had come to the sub-registrar's office to register the land in favour of Balu Chettiyar. In reality, Chandra was a cancer patient who was not in a position even to walk. Passing severe strictures against the official, Justice Kirubakaran then preempted attempts to transfer her out of the district, by staying her transfer.

Even as the petition was pending before the single judge, the present PIL filed by V Varaaki claimed that the official had amassed assets to the tune of Rs 100 crore and that there were no acceptable explanation as to the source of the income. The PIL, seeking formation of a special investigation team to probe the allegations of corruption against the registrar, came up for hearing before the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar.

Admitting the plea, the bench ordered notice to Sivapriya and the state government, and directed them to file their replies by November 27.

Alleging that Sivapriya was involved in corrupt activities and that she had tampered with property records while illegally transferring waterbodies to private people, the PIL said, "the official has been charged for four such offences while she was working as sub-registrar of Virugambakkam."

The petitioner wanted the court to constitute a SIT, probe the allegations and initiate appropriate criminal prosecution as well as departmental proceedings against the officer, if the charges were proved. It said such activities of officials caused big revenue loss to the exchequer, and added that the registration department was the axis that ran the government as it generated huge revenue.