Your name or property is misspelt in the Sub-Registrar's index, so searches and certified copies go wrong. Here is how to prove the error and get the office to correct it this week.
Reviewed on: 2026-05-29.
When the registry index spells your name or property details wrongly, a written correction request to the Sub-Registrar plus an RTI for the index page and your registered deed can put the record right.
Quick answer
When a document is registered, the Sub-Registrar's Office (part of your state Registration and Stamps department) does two things: it keeps a copy of the registered deed, and it makes an entry for it in a searchable index of names and property details. People later search this index to get an Encumbrance Certificate or a certified copy. If the index entry misspells your name, your father's or spouse's name, the village, the survey, plot or door number, or any key field, searches under your correct spelling can come back empty or attach to the wrong person. The first step is a written correction request to the Sub-Registrar who registered the document, with proof of the correct spelling, asking the office to correct its index entry.
Because the Registration department is a public authority, you also have a strong transparency tool. File an RTI with its Public Information Officer for a certified copy of the registered deed and the index or register page that carries the disputed entry. Comparing the two tells you the real cause. If the deed itself is spelt correctly and only the index is wrong, that is the office's own transcription error, which it can correct on its records. If the spelling is wrong in the executed deed too, that usually needs a rectification or correction deed by the parties, not just an office fix.
This guide is for you if a registered entry shows a spelling that does not match your real name or property details.
Build your evidence file. Get the exact entry that is wrong, ideally from a fresh Encumbrance Certificate or an index search for your property, and write down its document number, year, and the precise field that is misspelt. Then collect proof of the correct spelling: your registered sale or other deed, your identity proof such as Aadhaar or PAN, the property tax receipt, and your state's record-of-rights or survey document, such as patta and chitta in Tamil Nadu or the equivalent elsewhere. Write one or two plain lines stating the wrong spelling, the correct spelling, and which document proves it.
Prepare two parallel requests on Saturday.
Lodge and log everything. Submit the correction request at the office or through your state Registration portal, and keep the acknowledgement or token. File the RTI through your state RTI portal or by post to the office's PIO, and keep proof of filing and any fee receipt. Put the wrong entry, your deed, identity and property proof, the correction acknowledgement, and the RTI filing in one folder, and set a reminder to follow up once the office's stated turnaround passes.
| Document or evidence | Why it matters / where to get it |
|---|---|
| The wrong entry (from a fresh EC or index search) | Your starting evidence; it shows the exact misspelt field, the document number and the year, so the office and the PIO can find the entry quickly. |
| Your registered deed (sale, gift, partition, etc.) | The primary proof of the correct spelling of names and property details; it shows whether the deed itself is right and only the index is wrong. |
| Identity proof with the correct spelling | Aadhaar, PAN, passport, or voter ID showing your name spelt correctly, to support a correction of a name field in the index. |
| Property tax receipt or assessment | An independent record of the property's correct details and ownership that backs your correction request. |
| Survey or record-of-rights document | Patta and chitta, khata, 7/12, RoR, or your state's equivalent, to confirm the correct village, survey, plot, and extent. |
| Document number and year of the entry | Lets the office and the PIO locate the exact registered document and index page; read it off the EC or search result. |
| Certified copy of the deed and index page (the goal of your RTI) | Shows what was actually registered and what the index recorded, revealing whether the error is in the office's index or in the executed deed. |
| Correction acknowledgement and RTI filing proof | Start your paper trail; note the date, reference number, and the stated turnaround for each. |
| Step | Who to approach | How to reach them | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correction request | Sub-Registrar's Office that registered the document | In person or via your state Registration and Stamps portal, with proof of the correct spelling | As per the office's stated turnaround |
| Transparency request | Public Information Officer, state Registration department | Your state RTI portal or post to the office's PIO | Reply due within the RTI timeline |
| First appeal | First Appellate Authority of the department | Through the state RTI portal or to the officer named in the RTI reply | As per the RTI first-appeal timeline |
| Department escalation | District Registrar / Inspector General of Registration | Department grievance cell, email, or in person, quoting your token | A few weeks, as per the department |
| State grievance / CM portal | State public grievance portal | Your state's grievance or CM helpline portal | As per the state portal |
| Rectification deed or court | Parties to the deed / civil court | Through a lawyer, only if the spelling is wrong in the executed deed itself | As per the legal process |
Adapt the bracketed parts. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Subject: Spelling error in the registry index entry for my registered document - request to verify and correct
To, The Sub-Registrar [Name of Sub-Registrar's Office] [State Registration and Stamps Department] Subject: Spelling error in the index entry for my registered document no. [doc no.] of [year] - request to verify and correct the entry Dear Sir/Madam, A document relating to my property [survey/plot/door no., village/area, district] was registered at your office as document no. [doc no.] of [year]. The index entry for this document contains a spelling error: - Field that is wrong: [my name / father's or spouse's name / village / survey or plot or door number / extent] - As shown in the index/EC: [wrong spelling] - Correct spelling: [correct spelling] - Proof of the correct spelling: [registered deed / Aadhaar / PAN / property tax receipt / survey or record-of-rights document] Because of this error, searches and certified-copy requests under my correct details do not return the right record, which is affecting [my mutation / loan / sale / record verification]. I request you to: 1. Verify the index entry against the registered document and the proof enclosed. 2. Correct the spelling in the index/register entry so that future searches return the correct record. 3. Inform me in writing of the action taken, and issue a fresh record or certified copy reflecting the correction. If the error lies in the registered document itself and not only in the index, kindly advise me of the correct procedure to rectify it. Kindly acknowledge this request with a reference/token number and confirm the expected timeline. Documents enclosed: copy of the entry with the error marked, registered deed, identity proof, property tax receipt, survey/record-of-rights document. Thank you. [Your full name] [Address of the property] [Mobile number] [Email] [Date]
RTI is a strong tool here, because the Sub-Registrar's Office and the state Registration and Stamps department are public authorities. Use it to see the records behind the misspelt entry and to force a dated answer.
RTI gets you records and forces a response, but it cannot rewrite a deed or settle a dispute. If the certified copy shows the spelling is wrong in the executed document itself, that is not a mere index error, and RTI alone will not fix it.
In that situation the correct routes are:
When your document was registered, the office made an entry for it in a searchable index of names and property details. A typing or transcription slip there can misspell your name, a relative's name, the village, or a survey or plot number, even when your deed is correct. The way to be sure is to get a certified copy of the registered deed and the index page through an RTI to the Registration department, and compare the two.
Some state Registration portals let you raise a correction or grievance request and track it with a token, but the entry generally cannot be changed by you alone. The Sub-Registrar's Office must verify the entry against the registered record and proof of the correct spelling, then correct its index. You submit a written request with your deed and identity or property proof, and the office acts after checking. Timelines vary by state, so confirm on your state's portal.
The Sub-Registrar's Office is a public authority, so you can ask its Public Information Officer for a certified copy of the registered document, the index or register page with the disputed entry, and the status of your correction request. Those copies show whether the deed is spelt correctly and only the index is wrong, or the error is in the deed itself. File through your state RTI portal, since registration is a state subject and the central portal does not cover it.
Then it is not a mere index error, and an office correction alone will not fix it. If everyone agrees the spelling was a genuine mistake, the parties can execute a rectification or correction deed at the Sub-Registrar's Office. If a party disputes it, or the wrong spelling has clouded title, the route is a civil remedy through a lawyer. The certified deed and your identity and property proof remain useful evidence either way.
Only if you are seeking records from a central public authority. Registration and land records are state subjects, so an RTI about your index entry should go through your state's own RTI portal, or by post to the Public Information Officer of the Sub-Registrar's Office or the state Registration department. The central portal at rtionline.gov.in does not accept RTIs for state departments, so filing there will not reach the right office.
RTI will not direct a private bank, buyer, or builder, because they are not public authorities. What RTI does is get you the certified deed and a dated official answer that the index is being corrected, which is the proof they need. Once the office corrects the spelling and you have a clean record, share it with them. If a bank still acts unfairly, escalate through its grievance officer and, if unresolved, the RBI ombudsman via the RBI CMS portal.
Your registered deed plus a Government identity document showing your name spelt correctly, such as Aadhaar, PAN, passport, or voter ID, usually suffice for a name field. For a relative's name, carry their identity proof too. For a property-detail correction, the survey or record-of-rights document and the property tax receipt carry the most weight. Mark the wrong entry, attach the proof, and state the correct spelling plainly in your request.
Follow up in writing quoting your token, then escalate within the department to the District Registrar and the Inspector General of Registration for your state. Use your state grievance or CM helpline portal in parallel. On the transparency side, if the PIO does not answer your RTI in time, file a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority. A dated record of what was registered and what the office did strengthens every later step.