Seller Who Admitted Executing Sale Deed Cannot Block Registration Solely Over Alleged Unpaid Price: Madras HC

The appellant executed a sale deed in favour of Respondents 6 and 7, which was presented for registration on 20 September 2026. He later objected to its registration and release, alleging that the sale consideration had not been paid. The deed had not yet been assigned a registration number.

The appellant’s writ petition seeking to restrain the Sub-Registrar was dismissed by the Single Judge, who held that recovery of the alleged unpaid consideration was a matter for the Civil Court. The appellant appealed.

The Court stated that, absent a statutory ground justifying refusal, a registering authority cannot refuse registration or withhold a document solely on the basis of an allegation that the sale consideration has not been paid.

Whether consideration was paid in full, and whether any amount remains due, involves adjudication of the parties’ rights and liabilities and falls within the competent Civil Court’s domain. No specific statute or precedent was cited in the judgment.

The appellant admitted executing the deed; his objection concerned payment of the consideration. The Court held that this dispute did not, by itself, provide a statutory basis for the registration authorities to withhold the document.

The fact that the deed remained pending registration and had not received a registration number did not alter that conclusion. The appellant’s remedy for the alleged unpaid amount lay in appropriate civil proceedings.

It granted the appellant liberty to pursue remedies in accordance with law, including civil proceedings to recover the amount allegedly due. No costs were ordered, and the connected miscellaneous petition was closed.