Sections 51 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 51 lists the books every registration office must keep, and section 52 tells the registering officer what to do the moment a document is presented: endorse it, give a receipt and copy it into the right book. This article reads both as per the text of the Act consulted. The books are the public record against which a buyer or lender checks title, which is why a legal due diligence review begins with them.
Registration offices keep Book 1 (non-testamentary documents relating to immovable property), Book 2 (reasons for refusal), Book 3 (wills and authorities to adopt) and Book 4 (miscellaneous). Registrars' offices also keep Book 5 (deposits of wills). When a document is presented, the officer endorses the day, hour and place of presentation, the photographs and finger-prints, and the presenter's signature; gives a receipt; and, without unnecessary delay, copies the document into the proper book in order of admission (s.52).
Section 51: the five books
Section 51(1) lists the books by office.
| Book | Name in the Act | Kept in |
|---|---|---|
| Book 1 | Register of non-testamentary documents relating to immovable property | All registration offices |
| Book 2 | Record of reasons for refusal to register | All registration offices |
| Book 3 | Register of wills and authorities to adopt | All registration offices |
| Book 4 | Miscellaneous Register | All registration offices |
| Book 5 | Register of deposits of wills | Offices of Registrars |
Sub-section (2): what goes into Book 1. "In Book 1 shall be entered or filed all documents or memoranda registered under sections 17, 18 and 89 which relate to immovable property, and are not wills." Book 1 is therefore the book that holds sale deeds, gift deeds, leases and similar documents about immovable property, along with memoranda filed from other sub-districts (see our later articles on sections 64 to 66 and section 89).
Sub-section (3): what goes into Book 4. "In Book 4 shall be entered all documents registered under clauses (d) and (f) of section 18 which do not relate to immovable property." Section 18(d) covers instruments (other than wills) about movable property and section 18(f) covers all other documents not required by section 17 to be registered; see our post on section 18. So Book 4 holds optional documents that do not touch immovable property.
Sub-section (4): amalgamated offices. "Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require more than one set of books where the office of the Registrar has been amalgamated with the office of a Sub-Registrar." This ties to the amalgamation power in section 7(2); see our article on sections 3 to 8.
Book 2 records the reasons for refusal (section 71) and Book 3 holds copies of wills and authorities to adopt (sections 45 and 46; see our article on sections 42 to 46). Book 5 is the deposit register under section 43.
Section 52(1): duties when a document is presented
Clause (a). "The day, hour and place of presentation, and the signature of every person presenting a document for registration, shall be endorsed on every such document at the time of presenting it". Four things are endorsed: the day, hour and place of presentation; the photographs and finger-prints under section 32A; and the signature of every person presenting. The bracketed words show that the photographs and finger-prints were added to the original list; see our article on section 32A.
Clause (b). "A receipt for such document shall be given by the registering officer to the person presenting the same". Keep the receipt: it records that the document was presented, and presentation is the starting point for the time limits in Part IV (see the post on section 23).
Clause (c). "Subject to the provisions contained in section 62, every document admitted to registration shall without unnecessary delay be copied in the book appropriate therefor according to the order of its admission." So documents are copied into the correct book in the order in which they are admitted. Section 62 is the exception, dealing with translations; see our article on sections 61 to 63.
Section 52(2): authentication of books
"All such books shall be authenticated at such intervals and in such manner as is from time to time prescribed by the Inspector-General." The authentication details are therefore set by the Inspector General (see also section 69(1)(g), which lets him regulate authentication by Registrars and Sub-Registrars of the books under section 51), and they vary by State.
What a buyer or lender should take from this
- Presentation leaves a trace. The endorsement of day, hour and place and the presenter's signature, photographs and finger-prints is made at the moment of presentation.
- You get a receipt. Keep it with the deed.
- Book 1 is the book for immovable property documents. Searching and copies are governed by section 57; see our post on how to get a certified copy of a registered document and the general guide on endorsement and copying of documents.
- Indexes sit beside the books. Sections 53 to 55 provide for numbering and indexes; see our article on sections 53 to 55.
- Annual records. The practical side of record upkeep is in our post on annual filing of records by the registration office.
The Act prescribes no fee for the receipt or for endorsement in these sections; fees are fixed by the State (section 78) and are not in the copy.
A practical example
Vimal and Chaya present a sale deed for a flat. The officer endorses the day, hour and place of presentation, the photographs and finger-prints affixed under section 32A, and the signatures of the persons presenting. He gives Vimal a receipt. After the enquiry and admission, the deed is copied, without unnecessary delay, into Book 1 in its order of admission, because it relates to immovable property. A power-of-attorney deed concerning only movable property, registered optionally, would go into Book 4.
Need help reading the registered record?
The books and indexes are where the registered history of a property is found. Our legal due diligence team can search and interpret the record for your purchase or loan. State amendments and rules, fees and later amendments should be checked.
Key takeaways
- Books 1 to 4 are kept in all registration offices; Book 5 (deposits of wills) is kept in Registrars' offices.
- Book 1 holds documents under sections 17, 18 and 89 relating to immovable property that are not wills; Book 4 holds section 18(d) and (f) documents that do not relate to immovable property.
- On presentation the officer endorses the day, hour and place, the photographs and finger-prints, and the presenter's signature, gives a receipt, and copies the document into the proper book in order of admission.
- Books are authenticated as the Inspector General prescribes.
- Only one set of books is needed where the Registrar's office is amalgamated with a Sub-Registrar's office.
Read next
- Sections 53 to 55 of the Registration Act, 1908: numbering of entries and indexes
- Section 32A of the Registration Act, 1908: photographs and fingerprints at registration
- Endorsement and Copying of Documents -- Section 52-62
- Annual Filing and Records Maintenance by Registration Office
Disclaimer: Based on a print of the Registration Act, 1908 marked as last updated on 9 July 2020, as consulted on 2 October 2026. State amendments and rules, later amendments, registration fees and stamp duty are not covered and should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.