The Madras High Court has struck down Section 34-C of the Registration Act, 1908, which was inserted by the Tamil Nadu government in 2026, holding that the provision was ultra vires and unconstitutional. The court ruled that the amendment improperly empowered sub-registrars to block property registrations on grounds that fall strictly within the jurisdiction of civil courts. The court observed that Section 34-C imposed conditions that went beyond the scope of registration authorities by enabling them to adjudicate disputes relating to title, ownership, and validity of documents—matters that can only be decided by civil courts. On this basis, the court allowed multiple writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amendment. Under Section 34-C, registration of documents relating to immovable property was barred unless the executant produced the previous original title document along with an encumbrance certificate. The provision also restricted registration in cases where there was an existing mortgage, prior sale agreement, or a missing parent document, unless additional requirements were fulfilled. These included producing a no-objection certificate from the mortgagee, submission of revenue records, a police non-traceable certificate, or proof of newspaper publication regarding the missing document. The court held that these conditions did not constitute a new legal safeguard, but were merely a revival of earlier restrictions that had already been struck down by courts in the past. It ruled that the amendment amounted to a reintroduction of invalidated rules under a different form, which could not be sustained in law. In addition to striking down the provision, the court set aside a refusal check slip issued by a district registration authority and directed the concerned registrar to proceed with the registration of the document involved in the case. To address concerns relating to property fraud, the court issued directions to the registration department to strengthen transparency mechanisms. It directed that encumbrance details be prepared, maintained, and published in Book I, with indexing done survey number-wise and door number-wise, so that accurate information is available to the public without imposing unlawful barriers on registration. The ruling is expected to ease property transactions across Tamil Nadu by restoring the limited, statutory role of registration authorities and reaffirming that disputes over title and ownership must be resolved only through civil courts.