Bengaluru
In a significant development, the High Court has issued an order mandating the digitization of all documents related to old properties in Bengaluru. This directive aims to streamline access to property-related information, thereby enhancing transparency and efficiency. The order also emphasizes the need to safeguard against potential document forgery. The High Court’s order specifies that all documents pertaining to a particular property must be made accessible in electronic or digital form. To ensure the seamless execution of this initiative, the Chief Commissioner of BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has been tasked with collaborating with the Principal Secretary of the Department of e-Governance to formulate a comprehensive plan. The legal proceedings leading to this directive stemmed from the case of Aslam Pasha, a resident of Padma Nagar, Bengaluru, who had not submitted an approved plan (sanction plan) for a building’s construction. Consequently, BBMP declared the construction as illegal, leading to a legal challenge. A single-member bench led by Justice Suraj Govindaraj deliberated on the matter and issued various directions to BBMP. Under this directive, authorized officers will be granted secure access through usernames and passwords to review digitized approved plans, account letters, tax payment receipts, self-assessment form applications, and other relevant documents. This access will be restricted from third parties to maintain data integrity. The court has highlighted the importance of merging documents related to a specific property, making them easily accessible to officers responsible for enforcing BBMP regulations. Furthermore, these records will also be made available to entities such as the Revenue Department, Urban Development Department, Planning Authority, and the Deputy Registrar’s office. In a collaborative effort, the Principal Secretaries of various departments, including Urban Development, Finance, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, BESCOM, BWSSB, and any other relevant departments, will cooperate to facilitate the mapping and tagging of property-related documents.
