The Registrar General, Mrs. Sashithevi Jalatheeban, has assured that necessary steps will be taken promptly, in consultation with the Attorney General’s Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Department, regarding amendments to the Notaries Ordinance to prevent large-scale land frauds being perpetrated in the Northern Province through “Declaration Deeds.”
At the special invitation of Hon. Governor N. Vethanayahan of the Northern Province, a high-level discussion with the Registrar General was held at the Governor’s Secretariat this Wednesday morning (24 June 2026).
The Governor opened the discussion by extending his heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Sashithevi Jalatheeban, who has assumed office as the first female Registrar General in the 160-year history of the Registrar General’s Department.
During the discussion, the Governor highlighted several critical issues relating to frauds perpetrated through Declaration Deeds. He stated: “Our objective is not to completely prohibit land registrations through Declaration Deeds. Rather, our primary duty is to prevent the large-scale frauds being committed in the name of this instrument. Even lands released from military occupation in Valikamam North and lands belonging to diaspora have been misappropriated through such forged deeds,” expressing deep concern over the situation.
He further stated: “During the previous administration, a restrictive directive was issued requiring police to obtain the Attorney General’s approval before arresting lawyers involved in land frauds. After I brought this matter to the attention of His Excellency President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, those restrictions have now been removed. It is a bitter truth that certain officials within the Registrar General’s Department have been complicit in writing forged deeds and have destroyed ‘Thombus’ – the original source documents of land records. Therefore, we must swiftly establish a robust mechanism to prevent such frauds,” the Governor emphasized.
During the meeting, Additional District Secretaries (Land) of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, and Mullaitivu districts presented the challenges faced in their respective districts. They noted that the Registrar General’s Department provides only 14 days to confirm whether a given land is state or private land, and that responding within this timeframe is a challenge. They also pointed out that difficulties arise from deeds being executed under fictitious names. In response, the Northern Province Land Commissioner noted that even if state land has been registered through a Declaration Deed, legal provisions exist to subsequently cancel such registration.
Clarifying these matters, the Registrar General stated: “In accordance with the 2022 circular, Divisional Secretaries are provided a period of 3 months to confirm whether land is state-owned, with the option to request further extensions if needed. Solutions can be more readily obtained by including Land Commissioner Department officials in the Land Use Committee meetings held at Divisional Secretariats.”
The Governor proposed that when lands are registered through Declaration Deeds in future, a clause requiring mandatory newspaper publication of such registrations should be incorporated into the legislative amendments. Additionally, former District Judge K. Ariyanayagam, who participated in the discussion, stressed the necessity of amendments including mandatory submission of a land survey map and affidavits from those at all four boundary points when registering Declaration Deeds.
The Jaffna Deputy Inspector General of Police and officers-in-charge of the Special Crimes Investigation Division (SCID), who participated in the meeting, presented data on actions taken regarding land frauds:
Year Cases Filed Concluded Under Investigation
2023 16 15 —
2024 31 25 6
2025 20 6 14
2026 (up to May) 9 1 8
Police also reported that 9 prominent notaries have been identified as connected to these frauds. They further requested that special training on land documents be provided to their investigative division officers, a commitment given by both the Governor and the Registrar General.
The Registrar General disclosed that a total of 3,839 Declaration Deeds have been registered in the Northern Province from 2022 to date – Jaffna: 1,874 , Mannar: 958 , Kilinochchi: 570 , Mullaitivu: 321 , Vavuniya: 116.
The Governor also called for expediting the process of issuing “Certificates of Confirmation of Disappearance” through the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), and for rectifying deficiencies concerning the legal validity and expiry date of such certificates. The OMP’s Jaffna Coordinator pointed out that families holding these certificates are unable to access financial benefits. The Registrar General indicated that further discussions will be held with the Ministry of Justice on this matter.
Responding to the Governor’s request that circulars issued to notaries be published in the Tamil language as well, it was conveyed that work on publishing them in all three languages has already commenced. Furthermore, regarding the Governor’s request to reform discriminatory practices in the appointment of Birth/Death Registrars (e.g., the retirement age of 65 and rules relating to widows/pensioners), the Registrar General assured that steps have been initiated to amend the relevant service minutes.
Several other matters relating to the staffing requirements and decentralization of the Registrar General’s Department within the Northern Province were also discussed.
The high-level discussion was attended by the Secretary to the Governor – Northern Province, the Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Local Government – Northern Province, Additional District Secretaries (Land), the Northern Province Deputy Registrar General, former District Judge, Provincial Land Commissioner – Northern Province, Jaffna Deputy Inspector General of Police, officers-in-charge of the Special Crimes Investigation Division and Additional District Registrars from all five districts.
