Sale deed copy stuck? Make the Sub-Registrar issue it

Vikas applied for a certified copy of his 1998 sale deed at the Mumbai Sub-Registrar Worli office in November — original was destroyed in a flood. “Pending search in old register” for 8 weeks. The bank loan deadline was approaching.

He filed an RTI marked URGENT (loan = financial life-and-liberty). Six days later the SR replied: the deed was found in the manual register but needed dispatch from the records branch. Reply included the file number + dispatch date. Copy received four days later. Loan sanctioned in time.

Sale-deed copies are issued by the Sub-Registrar's office under the Registration Act 1908 §57 which gives any person the right to inspect / obtain certified copy of any registered document on payment of fee.

1. 30-day clock under §7(1).
2. 48-hour proviso for loan / court deadline urgency.
3. §20(1) personal liability.
4. File traceability — surfaces register-search status, fee-not-reflected, manual-register-page-missing.

• §6(1) RTI Act.
• §7(1) + 48-hour proviso.
• Registration Act 1908 §57 — any person may obtain certified copy of any registered document.
• State Stamp & Registration Acts / Rules — set fee + timeline (typically 15-30 days for digital copies, 30-90 days for old manual records).

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
Office of the Sub-Registrar / District Registrar,
[Your taluk / town SR office]

Subject: §6(1) RTI Act 2005 — status of my certified-copy application
[URGENT — life/liberty proviso to §7(1) — loan / court deadline DD-MM-YYYY]

Sir/Madam,

   Applicant name : [Full name]
   Application no.: [from KAVERI / IGR portal]
   Document       : Sale Deed / Conveyance / Gift Deed
   Document book  : Book No. ___, Volume ___, Page ___, Year ____
   Registration date: DD-MM-YYYY
   Registration no: [if known]
   Application date: DD-MM-YYYY
   Fee paid       : ₹___ (challan no.)
   Purpose        : [Bank loan / Court production / Sale to buyer]

Please provide:

   1. Current status and exact stage of my application.
   2. Name + designation of the dealing officer (Records Section /
      Junior Examiner) currently holding my file.
   3. Date(s) of file movement: portal received → register search →
      digitisation/scanning → SR signing → dispatch.
   4. Reason for delay beyond [State Registration Rules] timeline
      of [15/30] days.
   5. Expected date of certified copy dispatch.
   6. Copy of any noting / objection / register-search status report
      on my file.
   7. If document is in manual register and not yet digitised, the
      procedure for accelerated manual search.

I am a citizen of India.

Fee: ₹10 IPO/DD enclosed.

Yours faithfully,
[Name + address + signature + date]

1. Note your application reference + fee challan.
2. Find SR postal address on your state IGR portal.
3. File via state RTI portal OR Speed Post.
4. ₹10 fee.
5. URGENT marker if loan/court deadline within 30 days.
6. First Appeal → District Registrar; Second Appeal → SIC.

Ask for the manual-register search status + dispatch from records branch.

Apply for certified copy with your name as registered party. RTI tracks.

Attach affidavit of loss; request expedited issue.

File separate RTIs for each link document.

Attach court order; cite proviso to §7(1) and the court directive — most SRs prioritise.

• Suraj Bhan v. UoI (P&H HC 2019) — Registered documents are public; §57 Registration Act gives universal access.
• CIC, Mumbai SR Records v. IGR Maharashtra (2017) — SR directed to disclose pendency report; “manual register” not §8 ground for indefinite delay.
• Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v. CIC, (2013) 1 SCC 212 — Other parties' personal info §8(1)(j); but the deed itself (a public registered document) is not.
• State Information Commission (Karnataka, 2022) — SR fined ₹20,000 for non-issuance within 60 days.

• No book/volume/page reference → manual search fails.
• Filing without fee challan.
• Filing on rtionline.gov.in (registration is state).
• Skipping urgency invocation.

• Always include book/volume/page + registration date + parties' names — multiple identifiers.
• Cite §57 Registration Act 1908 + §6(1) RTI Act together — strongest combo.
• For old (>50 year) deeds, mention you can pay extra fee for accelerated manual search.
• Ask for dealing Records Section officer's name.

With urgency: 4-7 days. Without: 18-26 days.

State-specific — typically ₹100-500 per page for digital, more for manual register search.

Yes under §57 Registration Act. The deed is a public document. Personal contact details of parties are §8(1)(j).

No — anyone can apply under §57.

Apply via POA or visit. RTI applies the same way.

Certified copies of registered documents are a statutory right under §57 Registration Act + §6(1) RTI Act. RTI is the cheapest unblock when the SR sits on file. ₹10.

File the RTI.

• EC RTI
• Property mutation RTI
• First Appeal

1. RTI Act 2005 — §6(1), §7(1), §8(1)(j), §19, §20.
2. Registration Act 1908 §57.
3. State Stamp & Registration Acts.
4. Suraj Bhan v. UoI (P&H HC 2019); Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v. CIC (2013).
5. State IGR portals.

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.