Registration authority cannot title disputes; duly executed sale deeds must be registered despite pending ceiling-related questions.

The registering officer's role under Sections 34 and 35 of the Registration Act, 1908 is limited to verifying execution and other statutory formalities; it does not extend to examining the vendor's title or deciding disputed ownership. Registration cannot be refused merely because the transferor's title is alleged to be defective or because the land appears in urban land ceiling records or related proceedings. If a sale deed is duly executed, presented, and otherwise compliant with the Act, the officer must register it, leaving title disputes to be determined in appropriate proceedings. On that basis, refusal to register the sale deeds was without jurisdiction and registration was directed.

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Issues: Whether the District Sub-Registrar could refuse or withhold registration of sale deeds on the ground that the vendor's title was under dispute or that the land was recorded in urban land ceiling records.

Analysis: Section 34 of the Registration Act, 1908 and Section 35 of the Registration Act, 1908 confine the registering officer to the statutory enquiry regarding execution and related formal requirements. The registration authority is not empowered to investigate or decide the vendor's title, nor to refuse registration merely because it considers the transferor's title imperfect or because ceiling proceedings are pending. If a document is otherwise duly executed, presented and compliant with the statutory requirements, the registering officer must register it; questions of title remain outside the registration function.

Conclusion: The refusal to register the sale deeds was without jurisdiction, and the writ petitioners were entitled to a direction for registration.

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