High Court Issues Strict Order to Recover Lost Property Documents

Vijayakumari from Kollam district, Kerala, had filed a case in the Madurai Bench of the Chennai High Court regarding lost property documents.

In her petition, Vijayakumari stated that her relative Pushpam owned 5 acres of land in Meenchur village, Virudhunagar district. After his death, his son Vijay Antony attempted to transfer the land in his name. However, the property documents were missing. To obtain these documents, she filed an RTI application with the Virudhunagar District Public Information Officer. When no response was given, she also approached the District Collector and the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission.

Following the orders, she was permitted to inspect the documents at the Tahsildar’s office. Due to health issues, Vijay Antony was authorized to inspect the documents on her behalf. Despite multiple visits, the Tahsildar’s office officials did not provide the necessary documents. This resulted in non-compliance with the State Information Commission’s order and contempt of court.

The case was heard by Justice Balaji at the Madurai Bench of the Chennai High Court. The government lawyer stated that public records are maintained only for a limited period, and some documents may have been destroyed for various reasons.

However, Justice Balaji ruled that property allotment records are permanent and cannot be accepted as lost or destroyed. The court said:

“It is not acceptable for officials to claim that property documents are lost or destroyed. Property documents are permanent records. Therefore, failure to provide these documents to the petitioner amounts to contempt of court. The concerned authorities must prepare the documents and provide the required information to the petitioner within 8 weeks.”

This order puts pressure on the government and officials to comply and provide the requested documents promptly.