Registrar's supervisory power cannot cancel registered sale deeds; disputed title and fraud issues must be decided by civil court.

Section 68(2) of the Registration Act, 1908 gives a District Registrar supervisory power over subordinate registration acts or omissions and the correction of registration-related errors, but it does not confer an express power to cancel or nullify a registered sale deed. Cancellation of a registered instrument is a substantive power requiring clear statutory authority; it cannot be assumed through implication. Where allegations of fraud affect title, civil rights, or consideration, the dispute must be left to the civil court, particularly when a civil suit and counterclaim are already pending. Administrative registration authorities cannot decide such rights in summary proceedings, and any wider interference would be jurisdictional overreach.

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Issues: Whether the District Registrar had power under Section 68(2) of the Registration Act, 1908 to cancel registered sale deeds by nullifying them on the basis of alleged fraud.

Analysis: Section 68(2) confers supervisory authority on the Registrar to issue orders concerning the acts or omissions of subordinate Sub-Registrars and rectification of errors regarding the book or office in which a document has been registered. It does not confer an express power to cancel or nullify a registered document. The power to cancel registration is a substantive power and cannot be assumed in the absence of clear statutory authorisation. Disputes involving title, civil rights, consideration, or alleged fraud in the execution of documents are matters for the civil court, especially when a civil suit and counter claim are already pending. Administrative registration authorities cannot adjudicate civil rights through summary proceedings, and any interference beyond an error-correcting function would amount to jurisdictional overreach.

Conclusion: The District Registrar was not empowered to cancel the sale deeds under Section 68(2) of the Registration Act, 1908, and the order nullifying the documents was unsustainable; the issue is decided in favour of the appellants.

Ratio Decidendi: In the absence of express statutory authority, a Registrar exercising supervisory powers under the Registration Act cannot cancel a registered document or adjudicate disputed civil rights, which must be left to the competent civil court.

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