Refusal by the registration authorities to entertain documents relating to the lands in Sy.No.963 of Palamaner Village and Mandal, Chittoor District, is called in question in these cases.

The petitioners in W.P.No.12412 of 2013 are concerned with an extent of land in subdivided Sy.No.963/3 while the petitioners in W.P.No.12875 of 2013 relate their claim to certain plots in sub-divided Sy.No.963/5A of Palamaner Village and Mandal.

The Sub-Registrar, Palamaner, filed counter-affidavits in the two cases stating that the subject lands were notified as Wakf properties as per the list furnished by the Chief Executive Officer, A.P.State Wakf Board (hereinafter, ‘the Board’), under his letter dated 12.10.2012, to the Collector and District Magistrate, Chittoor District. In turn, the Collector, Chittoor District, addressed letter dated 23.11.2012 to the District Registrar, Chittoor District, leading to the issuance of Memo No.G1/853/2012 dated 24.11.2012 to all the Sub-Registrars in the district to abide by the instructions of the District Collector, Chittoor District. These instructions were to the effect that the Sub-Registrars were not to register documents relating to Wakf prope