India, April 24 -- Digitisation and efficiency are welcome. But without statutory safeguards and system integration, land registration risks legitimising flawed transactions

India's attempt to modernise its property registration framework through the Draft Registration Bill, 2025, is both timely and necessary. Replacing the colonial-era Registration Act, 1908, the draft promises a digital, paperless, and citizen-friendly regime. Online workflows, electronic documentation, and time-bound service delivery signal a clear shift towards efficiency and transparency.

Yet, for all its procedural ambition, the draft law sidesteps more fundamental questions: who has the right to transact, what is being transacted, and on what basis. By focusing o...