Chandigarh, June 19 -- A critically ill Sonepat farmer died on June 10, five days after the Rohtak divisional commissioner, Rajiv Rattan, directed Sonepat deputy commissioner Neha Singh to facilitate manual registration of 2.20 acres through special provisions available under the Registration Act and complete the exercise within three days. The land registration was crucial for the family as it was the final legal requirement for completing the sale of land and accessing funds, which the family said were urgently needed for treatment. Sanjeet of Kanwali village in Sonepat had suffered a severe head injury, undergone two brain surgeries and was bedridden. His family alleged that despite the Rohtak divisional commissioner's directions, the manual registration remained trapped in bureaucratic red tape, leaving them without access to funds that were critical for treatment. Sections 31 and 38 of the Act empower registration officials to visit private residences or hospitals and exempt persons suffering from bodily infirmity from appearing in person before them. The divisional commissioner is the senior-most administrative and revenue authority at the divisional level, exercising supervisory and coordinating control over deputy commissioners of all districts within the division. Sanjeet's 26-year-old son, Ravi, said the family paid the private hospital bills by borrowing from relatives. "We spent around Rs.25 lakh on my father's hospitalisation and treatment," Ravi said. In a complaint to the divisional commissioner, Ravi said the family had sought permission for manual registration of the village land through the office of the divisional commissioner on June 5. "However, the Sonepat deputy commissioner did not grant permission for manual registration, and we were subjected to considerable hardship. Due to the non-grant of permission and the resulting financial difficulties, my father, Sanjeet, passed away on June 10," Ravi wrote on June 15. Rajiv Rattan, who supervises Rohtak, Sonepat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts, directed the Sonepat deputy commissioner-cum-district registrar on June 5 to instruct the sub-registrar, Kharkhauda, to accept Ravi's application and arrange for the land registration to be completed manually, through an official commission or by visiting the hospital bedside in view of the exceptional medical emergency and on humanitarian grounds. Rattan also directed the DC to complete the process within three days of receipt of the communication and submit a compliance report upon execution. The divisional commissioner recorded that an application had been received from Ravi stating that a sale agreement dated February 13, 2025, had been executed for agricultural land measuring 17 kanal 12 marla in Kanwali village of Kharkhauda tehsil. The final validity period for execution of the sale deed was fixed up to January 13, 2026. The application stated that Sanjeet, the landowner and executant, was critically ill and undergoing treatment as an inpatient in a hospital. "Due to this severe bodily infirmity, he is completely unable to physically attend the office of sub-registrar Kharkhauda for the standard online biometric and digital registration process. To prevent legal complications, breach of agreement and financial distress, the applicant has requested special intervention to allow the registration to proceed manually or by alternate legal means," the divisional commissioner wrote. However, instead of processing the request, the deputy commissioner's office issued a communication on June 10 seeking additional documents and clarifications. Ravi told HT that his father was paralysed and bedridden. "He was not at all in a condition to go to the tehsil office," he said. A Chandigarh-based PGIMER neurosurgeon also confirmed to HT that the patient could not have appeared before the registrar at his office. On June 16, the divisional commissioner again wrote to the deputy commissioner and expressed grave concern that despite clear and time-bound instructions for manual registration in a sensitive matter involving a seriously ill person, the required action had not been taken. Reached for comment, Sonepat deputy commissioner Neha Singh said the application relied upon an agreement dated February 13, 2025, nearly 1.5 years old, and neither the agreement nor any extension thereof had been furnished for examination. "Most importantly, the relationship of the applicant Ravi, who moved the application on behalf of the executant, was not established. While previous hospitalisation was established, there was no medical opinion certifying that the executant was presently unable to attend before the registering officer due to bodily infirmity or other legally recognised disability. On the contrary, the medical record indicated discharge from the hospital on May 28, 2026, and did not prescribe any continuing bed rest or restriction on movement," she said. Singh said applications seeking registration of documents relating to transfer of immovable property required careful scrutiny, particularly where the executant was stated to be suffering from serious illness, bodily infirmity or had recently undergone major surgical procedures. Such scrutiny was necessary to safeguard the rights and interests of the landowner and prevent disputes, allegations of fraud, undue influence or subsequent civil and criminal litigation, she said. She said the applicant was accordingly requested to furnish the documents in order to ensure compliance with statutory requirements governing registration of documents, particularly where execution is sought through the special procedure contemplated under Sections 31 and 38 of the Registration Act.When contacted, Rattan said he is still awaiting the ATR and will take action accordingly....