Sample RTI for land mutation delays — citizen guide 2026

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.

• Title vs. record — Under the Registration Act, 1908 and the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, your registered sale deed / will / partition deed is the title document. Mutation is administrative — without it, the State still treats the previous owner as the recorded holder for tax + records purposes.
• Statutory time-limit (state-wise) — Uttar Pradesh (UP Revenue Code 2006, §34): 45 days from application. Madhya Pradesh (MP Land Revenue Code, §109): 90 days. Maharashtra (Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, §149): mutation entry within 30 days; certified copy within 90 days. Karnataka (Karnataka Land Revenue Act, §128): 45-60 days. Tamil Nadu (Patta Pass Book Act 1983): 30 days for uncontested, 90 days for contested. Bihar: 75 days (Bihar Land Mutation Act, 2011).
• Authority — Tehsildar / Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) is the deciding authority in most states. The Patwari / Lekhpal / Talathi / Karnam is the village-level revenue officer who initiates the mutation note; the Naib Tehsildar signs off on uncontested cases; the Tehsildar decides contested ones.
• Public-authority status under RTI — Tehsildar's office is a public authority under §2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Records you can ask for: mutation file, objection (if filed), Patwari's report, hearing notes, order, certified Khasra-Khatauni copy, dakhil kharij entry number.
• Online portals — Most states now have a Bhulekh / Bhumi / Mahabhulekh / Dharani / Bhoomi portal where mutation status is searchable by Khasra number or owner name. RTI is the route when the portal shows “pending” beyond the statutory window.

1. Locate your Khasra / Survey number. Check the registered sale-deed / inheritance papers. The Khasra number is your unique identifier on the file. Without it, the Patwari office cannot pull your mutation.
2. Check the online portal first. Visit your state's Bhulekh portal (e.g., UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, AP, Telangana). Take a screenshot with date/time visible.
3. Identify the PIO. Public Information Officer of Office of the Tehsildar, [Tehsil Name], District [District Name], [State]. The Tehsildar's office address is on every district website and on the Bhulekh portal.
4. Draft the application. Use the sample below. Include: Khasra/Survey number, village, tehsil, registered deed number + date, your application date, your unique reference number from the receipt counter.
5. Pay the fee. ₹10 for central RTIs but state RTI fees apply for state authorities — UP/Bihar/MP: ₹10, Maharashtra/Karnataka: ₹10, Rajasthan: ₹40 (highest), TN: ₹50, Gujarat: ₹20. See state-wise chart. BPL = zero under §7(5).
6. Post by Speed Post (AD). India Post Speed Post with Acknowledgement Due gives you the filing-date proof that starts the §7(1) 30-day clock.
7. Wait 30 days. PIO must reply by Day 30. Silence = deemed refusal under §7(2).
8. File First Appeal if needed. Under §19(1) to the First Appellate Authority (Sub-Divisional Officer / Sub-Collector / Additional Tehsildar in most states). Use our First Appeal Builder.
9. Escalate to State Information Commission. Under §19(3) if the FAA also fails. SICs have decided many mutation-related matters with directions to dispose within fixed timelines.

• Registered sale deed / inheritance certificate / will / partition deed — your title document.
• Mutation application receipt with reference number and date stamp from the Tehsil counter.
• Khasra / Survey number of the plot — required to pull the file.
• ₹10 IPO (or court-fee stamp / DD / online receipt). BPL certificate if claiming §7(5) exemption.
• Bhulekh portal screenshot showing “pending” status, date and time visible.
• Speed Post (AD) receipt as filing-date proof.

• Asking the PIO to “decide” the mutation — RTI is only for information, not decision-making. Re-frame as “current status of mutation application no [X], file noting, name of officer holding the file”.
• Not citing the Khasra number — The PIO replies “your reference is unclear” and the 30-day clock can be reset. Always include the Khasra/Survey number.
• Asking for personal information of the previous owner — likely refused under §8(1)(j). Re-frame as “anonymised entries showing only the dates of registration, mutation entry, and order — without the name and address of the previous owner”.
• Filing to the wrong office — village Patwari does not have the mutation file once it's transferred to the Tehsildar. Address the Tehsildar's PIO directly. Invoke §6(3) so any wrong-office filing is auto-transferred.
• No fee proof — non-acceptance memo. Always include the IPO / court-fee / online receipt.
• Forgetting the §10 severability clause — if part of your RTI hits §8 exemption, the PIO can refuse the whole thing. The sample below explicitly invokes §10(1) + §10(2) so non-exempt parts must still be supplied.

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).

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: ₹500 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 ₹10/₹100 is payable. Many state Lokayuktas have suo-moto'd cases when complaints + RTI replies were attached.

• RTI Act, 2005 — full text on IndiaCode
• UP Revenue Code, 2006 — upbhulekh.gov.in
• Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 — landrecords.maharashtra.gov.in
• MP Land Revenue Code, 1959 — IndiaCode
• Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 — landrecords.karnataka.gov.in
• Bihar Land Mutation Act, 2011 — Bihar Government Gazette
• Suraj Bhan v. Financial Commissioner Revenue (2007) 6 SCC 186 — mutation does not confer title
• Sawarni v. Inder Kaur (1996) 6 SCC 223 — same principle re-affirmed

• Index of all sample RTI letters
• AI RTI Drafter — generates a customised RTI in 60 seconds
• First Appeal Builder — for §19(1) appeals
• AwaazRTI — voice RTI in 11 Indian languages
• Index of all sample RTI letters
• RTI case-law database
• State-wise RTI fees
• RTI Act, 2005 — full text

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 admin@bighelpers.in.