Speaking during the Budget discussion in Parliament, Chadha argued that India’s chaotic land record system needs a complete overhaul. He pointed to countries like Sweden, Georgia, and the UAE, which have already adopted blockchain for property transactions, making them faster, more transparent, and less prone to fraud. In India, however, land disputes account for nearly two-thirds of civil cases, almost half of properties lack clear titles, and millions of documents remain undigitised. Chadha said the current system forces ordinary citizens to struggle with registrar offices while middlemen exploit loopholes. He believes a blockchain based national registry could timestamp every transaction, prevent tampering, and create a permanent audit trail accessible to all stakeholders. Such a move, he argued, would not only reduce disputes but also improve tax compliance and curb cash deals.
The Case for Blockchain in Property
Chadha described India’s land records as “utter chaos,” citing rampant fake documents, encroachments, and title disputes. He noted that even a simple property sale can take months, while civil courts average seven years to resolve disputes. By contrast, blockchain systems abroad have shown transactions can be completed in minutes, with disputes falling sharply.
Examples from Abroad
Countries like Sweden, Georgia, and the UAE have already demonstrated how blockchain can streamline property transactions. Their systems allow instant title verification, tamperproof records, and transparent tracking of sales, mutations, and inheritance. Chadha argued that India could replicate these successes, moving from a system that creates obstacles to one that prevents them.
India’s Current Challenges
According to Chadha, 6.2 crore property documents are still pending digitisation, while circle rates and loopholes fuel cash deals and tax leakages. He stressed that landrelated disputes make up 66% of civil cases, with 45% of properties lacking clear titles and nearly half already under dispute. Though he did not cite sources for these figures, they underline the scale of the problem.
Vision for a National Blockchain Property Register
Chadha’s proposal envisions a registry that is timestamped, tamperproof, and fully transparent. Every transaction whether a sale, mutation, or inheritance would be recorded in real time, creating a permanent audit trail. Governments, banks, buyers, and sellers could access the complete chain of data linked to a property, reducing fraud and ensuring clarity of ownership. “India must move from chaos to clarity,” Chadha said, urging the government to adopt blockchain as a structural solution to one of the country’s most persistent problems.
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