A property registration controversy has surfaced in Khanna after an official inquiry found that 35 sale deeds were verified allegedly using forged No Objection Certificates (NOCs), required to clear the transactions for registration.
The findings prompted the administration to recommend police action and expand its probe into additional property registrations.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Swati Tiwana on Saturday said the irregularities came to light following a complaint filed by Sarbjit Singh, a resident of Bahomajra village in Khanna, nearly two months ago.
In his complaint, Sarbjit alleged that several individuals had fraudulently got sale deeds for commercial and residential properties registered at the Khanna sub-registrar’s office by submitting forged NOCs. Acting on the complaint, the SDM had ordered an inquiry by Khanna tehsildar Gurcharan Singh.
According to the inquiry report, the forged NOCs were accepted during the verification process, allowing thesale deeds to be registered despite questions over the authenticity of the supporting documents.
Based on the findings, the SDM on Saturday wrote to the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Khanna, recommending legal action against those found to have secured property registrations by using the purportedly forged documents.
The probe has since been expanded, with another 18 sale deeds currently under verification.
These registrations were cleared on the basis of manual NOCs and are being examined by the executive officer of the municipal council, Khanna.
Tiwana said the matter would be referred to the police for appropriate legal action if the verification establishes similar irregularities in these cases. She added that scrutiny of additional property registrations is also underway and further findings may emerge as the investigation progresses.
Issuing a public advisory, the SDM urged residents to exercise due diligence while purchasing property and verify all related documents before completing any transaction to avoid future legal disputes.
She also warned that strict action would be taken against any individual or government employee found involved in wrongdoing.
