Sections 81 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.
Three sections in Part XIV of the Registration Act, 1908 deal with the officers who run registration offices. Section 81 punishes an officer or office staff member who endorses, copies, translates or registers a document in a manner he knows or believes to be incorrect, intending injury. Section 83 says who may begin a prosecution and which Court tries offences under the Act, and section 84 makes registering officers public servants and obliges people to give them information. As per the text of the Act consulted, section 82, on false statements and personation, sits between them and is explained separately.
A registering officer, or a person employed in his office, who endorses, copies, translates or registers a document in a manner he knows or believes to be incorrect, intending to cause injury or knowing it likely, is punishable with imprisonment up to seven years, or fine, or both (section 81). A prosecution may be begun by or with the permission of the Inspector General, the Registrar or the Sub-Registrar concerned, and offences are triable by a Court or officer with powers not less than a Magistrate of the second class (section 83). Registering officers are deemed public servants and every person must furnish information when required (section 84).
Section 81: incorrect endorsement, copying, translation or registration
Section 81 applies to "Every registering officer appointed under this Act and every person employed in his office for the purposes of this Act". Both are covered: the officer and his staff. The person must be "charged with the endorsing, copying, translating or registering of any document presented or deposited under its provisions".
The offence has these elements:
| Element | Text |
|---|---|
| Act | Endorses, copies, translates or registers the document |
| Manner | "in a manner which he knows or believes to be incorrect" |
| Intent or knowledge | "intending thereby to cause or knowing it to be likely that he may thereby cause, injury, as defined in the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), to any person" |
| Punishment | Imprisonment which may extend to seven years, or fine, or both |
Three things should be noted.
- Knowledge or belief. The section does not reach a mere error. The officer must know or believe the manner to be incorrect.
- Injury as defined in another Act. The section borrows the meaning of "injury" from the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860). This article does not explain that Code; check the current law for the corresponding provision.
- No fine amount. The Act prints none, and none is stated.
Registration is run by the States, and your State may have amended these sections or made rules under section 69. This article explains only the central text; check the State position and any later amendment. If you believe an officer has incorrectly recorded your document, our legal dispute resolution service can help you decide whether to seek rectification, to complain, or both.
Where the problem is an honest error in the book or office in which a document has been registered, the Registrar has a corrective power under section 68(2); see our article on control by the Registrar and rules by the Inspector General.
Section 83: who may begin a prosecution and where it is tried
Section 83(1). The print begins with a lower-case "a" ("a prosecution for any offence..."). It says a prosecution for any offence under the Act "coming to the knowledge of a registering officer in his official capacity may be commenced by or with the permission of the Inspector General, [ ] the Registrar or the Sub-Registrar, in whose territories, district or sub-district, as the case may be, the offence has been committed." The "[ ]" marks omitted words, and the print does not say what was omitted.
Break it down.
- What kinds of offence: any offence under the Act which comes to the knowledge of a registering officer in his official capacity. This includes the offences in sections 81 and 82.
- Who may commence or permit: the Inspector General, the Registrar or the Sub-Registrar. The Registrar or the Sub-Registrar is the one "in whose territories, district or sub-district, as the case may be, the offence has been committed".
- Mode: the prosecution may be commenced by one of them, or with the permission of one of them.
Section 83(2). "Offences punishable under this Act shall be triable by any Court or officer exercising powers not less than those of a Magistrate of the second class." The Act therefore fixes the minimum rank of the Court or officer. It says nothing further on procedure, and this article adds nothing from other laws.
The offences in section 82, which deals with false statements, false copies or translations, personation and abetment, are covered in our article on false statements and impersonation at registration.
Section 84: public servants and the duty to furnish information
Section 84(1). "Every registering officer appointed under this Act shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860)." The status is statutory: the Act itself says he is deemed one.
Section 84(2). "Every person shall be legally bound to furnish information to such registering officer when required by him to do so." The words "every person" are wide. The text consulted does not say what information may be required or how a request is to be made; it says only that the person is legally bound to furnish it when required.
Section 84(3). "In section 228 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), the words judicial proceeding shall be deemed to include any proceeding under this Act." The section number and the quoted words are as printed; the copy prints "judicial proceeding" without quotation marks. This article does not explain the provision of the other Code, and the reader should check the current law for its present form.
How the three sections fit together
| Section | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| 81 | What happens if an officer or his staff deliberately handles a document incorrectly with intent to injure? |
| 83 | Who can start the prosecution for an offence under the Act, and who tries it? |
| 84 | What is the status of the registering officer, and what must people give him? |
Section 82 completes Part XIV. Sections 81 and 82 each carry up to seven years of imprisonment, or fine, or both.
What these sections do not say
- They do not give a procedure for a private complaint, and they do not say whether a person other than the officers named in section 83(1) may complain. The text consulted is silent.
- They do not state any fine.
- They do not describe disciplinary action against an officer; the text covers prosecution only.
- Section 86, in the Miscellaneous Part, separately says that no registering officer is liable to any suit, claim or demand by reason of anything done or refused in good faith in his official capacity. That is a different question from a prosecution under section 81.
An example
A clerk in a Sub-Registrar's office is charged with copying a registered gift deed into the book. He alters the name of the donee in the copy, knowing the entry to be incorrect, intending to cause injury to the real donee. Section 81 covers a person employed in the office for the purposes of the Act, and the clerk may be punished with imprisonment up to seven years, or fine, or both.
The Sub-Registrar who comes to know of it in his official capacity may himself begin a prosecution or obtain the permission of the Registrar or the Inspector General for it, under section 83(1). The offence is triable by a Court or officer with powers not less than those of a Magistrate of the second class, under section 83(2).
Need help where a registration record may be wrong?
If an entry appears to have been made, copied or translated incorrectly, the right first step depends on the records and the State's rules. Our legal dispute resolution team can examine the papers and advise on the way forward.
Key takeaways
- Section 81 covers registering officers and persons employed in their offices who endorse, copy, translate or register a document in a manner they know or believe to be incorrect, with intent to injure or knowing it likely.
- The penalty is imprisonment up to seven years, or fine, or both; no fine amount is printed.
- Section 83: a prosecution may be commenced by or with the permission of the Inspector General, the Registrar or the Sub-Registrar; offences are triable by a Court or officer with powers not less than a Magistrate of the second class.
- Section 84: registering officers are deemed public servants; every person is legally bound to furnish information when required.
- Section 83(1) is printed with a lower-case "a" and an omission mark.
- Check your State's amendments and rules and any later amendment.
Read next
- False statements and impersonation at registration: section 82
- Control by the Registrar and rules by the Inspector General: sections 68 to 70
- Sub-Registrar vs Registrar: jurisdiction and powers
- Introduction to the Registration Act 1908
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.