Section 21 Registration Act: Description of property and maps or plans

Section 21 of Registration Act: Description of property and maps or plans

Official Bare Act Text

Override / Mandate Mens Rea (Intent) Actus Reus (Conduct) Punishment Limitation Monetary

(1) No non-testamentary document relating to immovable property shall be accepted for registration unless it contains a description of such property sufficient to identify the same.

(2) Houses in towns shall be described as situate on the north or other side of the street or road (which should be specified) to which they front, and by their numbers; and other houses and lands shall be described by their name, if any, and as being in the territorial division in which they are situate, and by their numbers, boundaries, survey numbers or other local designations.

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 21

Section 21 mandates that no non-testamentary document relating to immoveable property shall be accepted for registration unless it contains a description of such property sufficient to identify the same.

Sufficient Description Mandate: No non-testamentary document relating to immoveable property shall be accepted for registration unless it contains a description of such property sufficient to identify the same.
Statutory Specifications: Must specify houses, lands, boundary limits, revenue survey numbers, municipal door numbers, streets, and existing occupancies.
Cadastral Map Requirement: Where applicable, requires attachment of a map, plan, or cadastral sketch delineating the property boundaries.
Condition Precedent to Registration: Failure to provide sufficient identification deprives the registering officer of jurisdiction to accept the instrument.

Key Landmark Precedents:

Rani Purnima Debi v. Kumar Khagendra Narayan Deb, AIR 1962 SC 567: The Supreme Court held that the description of property in registered conveyances must be precise so that third parties inspecting the registry are not misled as to the identity of the land conveyed.
Kishore Chand v. Ganesh Prasad, AIR 1954 SC 316: Settled that inclusion of fictitious or non-existent property to invoke the jurisdiction of a particular Sub-Registrar constitutes a fraud on the registration law rendering the registration void.

Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

In sale deeds and mortgages, include the exact four-sided boundaries (North, South, East, West), revenue Khasra/Survey numbers, municipal ward, and an attached architect-certified layout map to comply fully with Section 21.

Section 21: Description of property and maps or plans

Section 21 of Registration Act: Description of property and maps or plans

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 21