DIGITALIZATION OF LAND REGISTRATION REGULATIONS IN TAMIL NADU: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

Land registration fraud and duplicative documentation represent a persistent structural crisis in Tamil Nadu's property administration. Despite the enactment of the Registration Act, 1908, and successive digitization initiatives under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), the land administration system remains fundamentally compromised by a 'presumptive' title regime and a 'Tripartite Disconnect' among the Registration, Revenue, and Survey Departments. This article analytically examines the legislative framework, institutional vulnerabilities, judicial jurisprudence, and comparative international models to argue that Tamil Nadu must urgently transition from mere digitization to a Conclusive Titling System anchored by Blockchain technology, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication, and GIS spatial mapping. Drawing on landmark Madras High Court decisions and comparative frameworks from Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the article proposes a Unified Land Information System (ULIS) as a legally enforceable and technologically immutable solution to the land mafia-driven fraud epidemic in the state.