C. Angamuthu v. The District Registrar (Salem West)
Case brief
What is this about?
Registration of settlement deed refused for want of probate - writ succeeds. Madras High Court (WP No. 4284 of 2026, decided 17-02-2026, Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy J.) set aside the Sub Registrar, Magudanchavadi's Refusal Check Slip No.RFL/ Magudanchavadi/ 540/ 2025 dated 27.12.2025 that blocked registration of a settlement deed dated 26.12.2025 in favour of the petitioner's wife, which flowed from an unregistered Will dated 28.01.2003 of the late Chinnapaiyan (died 02.04.2003). Propositions for retrieval: the Registration Act, 1908 does not make registration of a Will compulsory; outside presidency towns, probate or letters of administration were unnecessary even before the recent amendment to the Indian Succession Act (Will executed at Kannantheri village, property at Pudur village, Sankari taluk, Salem District). Relief: re-presentation within two weeks; registration directed subject to other requirements and absence of civil-court restraint; no costs. Keywords: refusal check slip; probate not obtained; unregistered Will; presidency town; Indian Succession Act amendment; Registration Act 1908; Article 226; Certiorarified Mandamus; Sub Registrar; Salem.