NADRA begins issuing digital succession certificates and deeds

Legal heirs can get certificates within 15 days by applying directly to NADRA instead of courts

RAWALPINDI:

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has started regular issuance of digital succession certificates and deeds in all 36 districts of Punjab. Legal heirs will now be able to get the certificates within 15 days by applying directly to NADRA instead of courts.

Prior to the Nadra facility, around 15 to 25 new cases of succession certificates and 25 to 30 new deeds applications were filed daily in the lower judiciary. On the last day of filing succession and deed in the lower court of Rawalpindi district, 83 new cases were filed. After a while, the court refused to receive more applications and directed applicants to approach NADRA for the purpose.

However, all cases involving minors will still have to be filed in the lower judiciary. Families will first appoint a guardian for the juvenile from subordinate judiciary. For the second phase, the families will have to go to NADRA for the certificates.

Two courts have been set up in Rawalpindi district for guardianship of minors headed by Senior Civil Judge Raja Muhammad Faisal Rashid and Civil Judge Nasr Muhammad Gondal. Meanwhile, the two courts currently hearing succession and deed cases will complete hearing of the filed cases.

Some lawyers and citizens are of the opinion that handing over the system of issuance of succession and deeds to NADRA will cause a rise in the problems faced by families. Some lawyers said they had examined the Nadra way of working and they would reject the new system.

Talking to The Express Tribune, senior advocates Samina Bukhari, Sabtin Shah, and Raja Ghanim Abir, who are pursuing civil cases, said that it was easy and cheap to get certificates from the judiciary. The total cost was between Rs25,000 to Rs35,000.

They added that getting these certificates from NADRA would prove to be expensive and difficult because of the rush of people.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2021.