In another attempt to curb benami deals and cracking down on unaccounted income, the government is planning to make Aadhaar-based authentication compulsory at the time of real estate document registration, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The authentication will be prerequisite for documents such as agreement of sale and power of attorney while electronic registration of properties that the government is also planning to roll out.

Sections 32 and 32A of the Registration Act, 1908 will be amended by the government to give legal backing to Aadhaar-based authentication of documents. A draft of the amendments will be sent to the Union Cabinet for approval, followed by the Parliament.

“Every person presenting a document at the property registration office for registration, shall, whether executing or claiming under the same, undergo Aadhaar authentication,” a source told the paper.

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Besides minimising the scope of benami transactions, the new system is also expected to ensure foolproof property titles for the buyers.

State governments and Union Territories have already been advised by the Department of Land Resources of the Rural Development Ministry to notify rules mandating “consent-based Aadhaar authentication” while registering the property documents.

The move is seen as part of a series of measures taken by the government to curb benami transactions and stop the use of black money in the real estate industry. The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amended Act, 2016, allows authorities to provisionally attach and confiscate benami properties.