#Sub-Registrar Powers

Madras HC rules that refusal to register a settlement deed based on an unprobated, unregistered will violates natural justice and is legally unsustainable in non-metropolitan areas. The court emphasized that probate is not a prerequisite for will validity outside metro jurisdictions, reinforcing procedural fairness in property registration disputes.

Madras High Court rules that a Hindu widow cannot unilaterally act as Karta of her deceased husband’s Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) to sell property without the consent of all Class-I heirs, including the deceased’s mother. The court upheld the Sub-Registrar’s refusal to register the sale deed, reinforcing that self-acquired property devolves individually on heirs under the Hindu Succession Act, not as HUF assets.

Madras High Court rules that Sub-Registrars cannot refuse document registration based on title disputes, reinforcing limited scope of scrutiny under Registration Act, 1908.