Nagaland’s Notary Public quota increased to 400

KOHIMA — In a significant milestone for Nagaland, the Ministry of Law and Justice (Department of Legal Affairs) has doubled the state's Notary Public quota from 200 to 400, amending the Notaries Rule 1956.

This marks the first quota increase since Nagaland's statehood.

The central government, through a notification issued on October 17 and signed by Ashutosh Mishra, Additional Secretary, exercised its powers under Section 15 of the Notaries Act 1952 (53 of 1952) to amend the Notaries Rules 1956.

“These rules may be called the Notaries (Amendment) Rules 2025” and that “they shall come into force on the state of their publication in the official gazette,” the notification stated.

The notification also stated that the schedule to the Notaries Rules 1956 would be amended to replace the figure ‘200’ with ‘400’ against serial number 16 relating to Nagaland, in column (3).

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Along with Nagaland, three other states also saw an increase in quota: Gujarat's quota rose from 2,900 to 6,000, Tamil Nadu's from 2,500 to 3,500, and Rajasthan's from 2,000 to 3,000.

It may be mentioned that earlier this year, Y Kikheto Sema, former Principal Secretary for Law and Justice of Nagaland and current Principal Secretary of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Fisheries & Aquatic Resources, and Parliamentary Affairs, met with Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal in New Delhi.

During the meeting, he requested the Centre to double Nagaland's Notary Public quota, citing the state's 20 districts and population of over 22 lakh, which has led to a significant surge in demand for notary services.

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The union minister had then assured that the proposal would be considered and that amendment to the Notaries Rules 1956 could be expected.

In a conversation with Eastern Mirror on Saturday, Y Kikheto Sema welcomed the 100% increase in Notary Public quota, calling it a significant relief and a first since Nagaland's statehood.

He expressed gratitude to the union government and the chief minister of Nagaland for their support.

He shared that many legal professionals seeking public notary positions were unable to get them in the past. With the 100% enhancement from 200, he expressed hope that all deserving candidates will now get the opportunity.

Kikheto emphasised that the increase shouldn't be limited to Kohima, Dimapur, and Mokokchung, as people from other districts would travel long distances for notary services.

He hoped that the increased quota would benefit all districts and deserving young legal professionals.

He further expressed relief that the union minister had amended the rule, stating that he had been vigorously pursuing the matter during his tenure as principal secretary for Law and Justice of Nagaland.