Srinagar, Jan 2: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is set to launch an online notary portal aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in notarial services across the Union Territory. Alongside, dedicated inspection teams will be constituted to conduct physical verification of notaries.
According to a circular issued by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Directors of Litigation in Jammu and Kashmir have been instructed to form inspection teams under the supervision of District Litigation Officers. These teams will verify the credentials of notaries within their respective districts and gather relevant data within a week to facilitate their onboarding on the online portal.
The department has cautioned that any discrepancies found during the verification process will be reported for appropriate action under the Notaries Act, 1952 and the Notaries Rules, 1956. All notaries have been directed to fully cooperate with the verification teams within the stipulated timeframe, failing which legal action will follow.
The upcoming online portal will streamline services such as registration and appointment of notaries, renewal of certificates of practice, and submission of annual returns. It will also make notary-related information publicly available 24×7 and include a dedicated grievance redressal feature.
The circular further reminded notaries of their obligation to file annual returns of notarial acts within the first week of January and apply online for renewal of their certificates within the prescribed period.
The order, issued under reference number LAW (Notary) 50 of 2021, was signed by Assistant Legal Remembrancer Binny Kumar and circulated to all concerned authorities and notaries across J&K.
