Land mutation RTI: at a glance
| 📅 Statutory window | ⏰ PIO reply window | 💸 Application fee | 🏛 Right office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-90 days – state revenue codes | 30 days – Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005 | ₹10 - ₹50 – state-wise (BPL = 0) | Tehsildar – PIO of Tehsil revenue office |
Process flow: ①Apply at Tehsil counter → ② Check Bhulekh portal → ③ If stuck > statutory days, RTI to Tehsildar → ④ 30-day reply → ⑤ First Appeal §19(1) to SDO
Quick answer. Land mutation (called dakhil-kharij or namantaran in Hindi-belt states, khata transfer in Karnataka, patta in Tamil Nadu) is the official update of a property's owner record in revenue land records after sale, gift, inheritance or partition. The application sits with the Tehsildar / Sub-Registrar / Talathi / Patwari. The statutory time-limit is 45-90 days in most states. If your file is stuck, RTI to the PIO of the Tehsildar's office unlocks the status, the file noting, the objection (if any) and the officer holding the file. Sample below: replace bracketed parts, attach ₹10 IPO, post by Speed Post (AD). Reply must come in 30 days under §7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Silence = file First Appeal under §19(1).
Mutation is the formal update of land-revenue records (Khasra-Khatauni / 7-12 / Pahani / Patta) when ownership changes hands. It does not create or transfer title: title comes from the registered sale deed under the Registration Act, 1908. Mutation only records the changed owner's name in the revenue register, which is what the State uses to collect property tax and to issue encumbrance certificates.
Read the legal background. *Suraj Bhan v. Financial Commissioner Revenue Punjab (2007) 6 SCC 186*: Supreme Court held that a mutation entry does not by itself confer or extinguish title; it is a fiscal record. Title disputes go to civil court. RTI is the right tool when the process has stalled: not when the substance is contested. *Sawarni v. Inder Kaur (1996) 6 SCC 223* re-affirms this. So your RTI must focus on the procedural file (status, noting, officer): never on “decide my case in my favour”.
Ravi Sharma, 38, software engineer in Pune. Inherited 2.3 acres of agricultural land in Ahmednagar (now Ahilyanagar) district, Maharashtra after his father's death in February 2024. Submitted mutation application at Tehsil Sangamner on 14 May 2024. Receipt number ASN/MUT/2024/847. Bhulekh portal still showed his late father's name 14 months later.
“My uncle who lives nearby went to the Tehsil office every two months. Each time the Talathi said 'pending with Naib Tehsildar' or 'objection raised by your cousin': but no written notice was ever served on me. I checked bhulekh.maharashtra.gov.in every week: status was 'Application received'.
On 14 July 2025 I filed RTI by Speed Post (AD) to the PIO, Office of the Tehsildar, Sangamner Tehsil, Ahilyanagar District. ₹10 IPO. I asked: (a) current status of mutation application ASN/MUT/2024/847, (b) certified copy of the file noting, © name and designation of the officer currently holding the file, (d) certified copy of the objection (if any) including the objector's name and date of submission, (e) certified copy of the Talathi's report, (f) the prescribed timeline under MLRC §149.
Reply came on 19 August 2025: Day 36. The PIO admitted no objection had been filed on record. The file had simply been moved to the Naib Tehsildar's table on 28 June 2024 and stayed there. The 'cousin objection' the Talathi mentioned in person was never filed in writing. The reply also flagged that under MLRC §149 the entry should have been made within 30 days.
I attached the RTI reply to a complaint under MLRC §149 + Maharashtra Public Records Act to the Sub-Divisional Officer, Sangamner. Order sheet was put up on 6 September 2025. Hearing on 14 September. The Naib Tehsildar passed the mutation order on 24 September. Bhulekh updated on 28 September. From RTI date to mutation done: 41 days. Total cost: ₹62 (₹10 IPO + ₹52 Speed Post). I should have RTI'd 12 months earlier.”
: Ravi, October 2025
To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Tehsildar,
[Tehsil Name],
District [District Name], [State]
Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005: records concerning
the mutation (dakhil kharij / namantaran) of land bearing Khasra number [XXX]
Date: [DD Month YYYY]
Respected Sir / Madam,
1. I, [Your full name], a citizen of India residing at [your address], am filing this
application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, seeking
the following records pertaining to my application for mutation of the
following property:
Khasra / Survey no. : [Khasra / Survey number]
Village : [Village name]
Tehsil : [Tehsil name]
District + State : [District], [State]
Mutation application : Reference no [XXX] dated [DD/MM/YYYY]
Underlying transaction : Sale deed / inheritance / gift / partition
registered as document no [XXX]
at SRO [SRO name] on [date].
2. Information sought (please supply certified copies and not opinions):
(a) Current status of the above mutation application as on the date of reply,
with the date of last action and the date when each subsequent step is
expected.
(b) Certified copy of the complete file noting on the application, including
the Patwari / Lekhpal / Talathi report, the field inquiry (if any), and
the noting by every officer who has handled the file.
(c) Name, designation, room number, and contact of the officer currently
holding the file, with the date the file moved to that officer.
(d) Certified copy of any objection filed against the mutation, naming the
objector, the date of filing, the grounds raised, and the date on which
the objection was placed before the Tehsildar / Naib Tehsildar.
(e) Certified copy of the hearing notice (if any) issued to me, the date of
issue and the dispatch register entry.
(f) The prescribed statutory timeline under [MLRC §149 / UP Revenue Code §34
/ MP Land Revenue Code §109 / etc: pick state] for disposal of an
uncontested mutation application, and the reasons for delay if the
prescribed period has been exceeded in my case.
(g) Certified copy of the most recent Khasra-Khatauni / 7-12 extract / Pahani
/ Patta of the said land, showing the recorded owner as on date.
(h) Grievance Register entries pertaining to mutation matters of [Tehsil
name] from 1 January 2024 onwards.
(i) Name and contact of the First Appellate Authority for this office.
3. Fee: An Indian Postal Order (IPO) of Rs. 10 in favour of the Accounts Officer
of the above authority is enclosed herewith. [If state fee is higher, replace
amount accordingly. If you are BPL, omit this para and add: "I am a Below
Poverty Line applicant and claim fee exemption under Section 7(5) of the RTI
Act, 2005. My BPL certificate is attached."]
4. Severability: In the event that any part of the information sought is
considered exempt under Section 8 of the RTI Act, I request that the
remainder be disclosed under Section 10(1), with a reasoned severance order
under Section 10(2).
5. Transfer: Should the subject matter of this application lie outside the scope
of your office, I request that the application be transferred, in part or
whole, under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to the concerned public authority
within the statutory period of 5 days, and that I be duly intimated.
6. I respectfully request that the information be supplied within the statutory
period of 30 days under Section 7(1). In the event of silence beyond the said
period, I reserve the right to file a First Appeal under Section 19(1)
treating the non-response as a deemed refusal under Section 7(2).
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
([Your full name])
Applicant details:
Name: [Your full name]
Address: [Your full postal address with PIN]
Phone: [Your phone: optional]
Email: [Your email: optional]
Encl.: 1. Indian Postal Order of Rs. 10 in favour of the Accounts Officer.
2. Photocopy of mutation application receipt (reference [XXX]).
3. Photocopy of registered deed (first and last pages).
Skip the typing. Use our AI RTI Drafter (free, 60 seconds): it auto-fills your name, address, fee mode, and adapts the questions above to your state and the specific stage your mutation is stuck at. Or speak it via AwaazRTI in 11 Indian languages.
No. Title comes from the registered sale deed / will / inheritance certificate. Mutation only updates the State's records. If someone challenges your title, you go to civil court: not the Tehsildar.
Registration is the legal recording of the deed at the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) under the Registration Act, 1908. It proves the transfer happened. Mutation is the post-registration administrative update at the Tehsildar's office that puts your name in the revenue register. Registration is mandatory and gives title; mutation is administrative and gives record.
UP: 45 days (UP Revenue Code 2006, §34). MP: 90 days. Maharashtra: entry in 30 days, certified copy in 90 days (MLRC §149). Karnataka: 45-60 days. Tamil Nadu: 30 days uncontested, 90 days contested. Bihar: 75 days. Rajasthan: 90 days. Gujarat: 90 days. AP/Telangana: 60 days. Punjab/Haryana: 90 days.
No. Mutation is a citizen-facing administrative process: you can file directly at the Tehsil counter or online via the state's Bhulekh portal where supported. Lawyers help only if there's a contested case (multiple claimants, boundary dispute).
The order will state grounds. Common grounds: incomplete papers, objection from another claimant, boundary mismatch, stamp duty deficiency. Appeal lies to the Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) within 60 days under most state revenue codes. Use RTI to get a certified copy of the rejection order before appealing.
RTI is your citizen right: you can ask about any public record. But for personal information of another property's owner, the PIO can invoke §8(1)(j). Stick to procedural information (status, file noting, officer holding the file) for properties you don't own; ask for full beneficial details only for your own.
Yes, but expect questions. Bring all original deeds and any property-tax payment receipts in your name. Some states charge a delayed-mutation penalty (Maharashtra: â‚ą500 per month after 90-day window; UP: 1% of stamp duty). RTI to the Tehsildar's PIO before applying gives you the exact penalty rate for your state.
File a complaint with the Lokayukta / Anti-Corruption Bureau / Vigilance of your state. Parallel: file an RTI for the fee schedule so you can prove no fee beyond the statutory â‚ą10/â‚ą100 is payable. Many state Lokayuktas have suo-moto'd cases when complaints + RTI replies were attached.
Last verified: May 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. State-wise mutation timelines cross-checked against state revenue code Acts and Bhulekh portal documentation. If your state's rule has changed, write to [email protected].
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