Dead 39 yrs ago, man ‘shows up’ for land sale twice in 3 yrs

Belagavi: A disturbing case has come to light in Belagavi, raising serious questions about the integrity of the land registration system, dealing a severe blow to public confidence in official records.According to Belagavi City Corporation records, Digambar Shripad Kulkarni passed away on April 9, 1987. However, land registration documents accessed by TOI, show that sale deeds bearing his name were registered nearly four decades later, once in 2024 and again in 2026, involving land transactions valued at several crores of rupees.Official records indicate that on Sept 3, 2024, Digambar Kulkarni is shown as having appeared before the Khanapur sub‑registrar office to execute a sale deed for 8 acres and 37 guntas of land in Ankalagi village. Subsequently, on April 24, 2026, he is recorded as having appeared before the Belagavi South sub‑registrar office to register another sale deed for 9 acres and 33 guntas of land in the same village.This case has exposed serious gaps in the verification processes followed by sub‑registrar offices, or the possibility that such safeguards are being deliberately bypassed. This has happened, despite DC Mohammad Roshan's strict instructions to the sub-registrars that Aadhaar verification is a must before any property registration. DC's order had come a couple of months ago, following increasing scams in property registrations.Key questions that need to be answered are--How was a person who was officially recorded as deceased, able to be presented as a living executant before govt offices? Who identified the individual? Who verified the Aadhaar authentication, photographs, biometrics, fingerprints and signatures? If verification was carried out, how did the transactions pass scrutiny? If it was not, who bears responsibility for authourising and stamping the documents?Even a comparison of the two sale deeds reveals multiple and significant discrepancies in both sale deeds, the Aadhaar numbers, signatures, and residential addresses are different.What is alarming is that despite complaints regarding the first suspicious registration reportedly reaching the district administration, a second registration in the same name was subsequently allowed at another sub‑registrar's office.This has raised questions about the absence of an inter‑office alert mechanism, the enforcement of administrative directions, and whether offices entrusted with protecting citizens' property rights are inadvertently facilitating land fraud. Speaking to TOI, Rajesh Kulkarni, grandson of deceased Digambar Kulkarni, demanded a detailed investigation into the scam by the local administration. "We are also contemplating a legal battle," he said.