Agricultural Land Inheritance Mutation Delayed

Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.

Ramesh's father died in March 2025 leaving 0.81 hectare in khasra 214, village Atrauli, district Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh. In April, Ramesh filed a virasat (inheritance) mutation application at the tehsil with the death certificate, the family register extract and his Aadhaar. By December the khatauni still showed his father's name. He could not get a crop loan and a buyer walked away. In January he spent Rs 10 on an RTI application to the tehsil PIO asking five questions about his file. The reply showed the lekhpal's report had been ready since June and the file had simply never been put up. The mutation order came three weeks later. That Rs 10 RTI is the most under-used tool in land inheritance, and this guide shows you how to use it.

Mutation (dakhil-kharij, virasat, fauti, varas nond, depending on the state) updates the revenue record so the legal heirs' names replace the deceased holder's in the khatauni or jamabandi. It is needed for crop loans, compensation, sale and government schemes. It does not decide ownership. Title comes from succession law, not the revenue entry. If another heir disputes the succession itself, that fight belongs in a civil court, and the revenue officer will only record what is undisputed or what a court decides.

Inheritance mutation goes to the tehsil: the Tehsildar or Naib-Tehsildar acting under the state land revenue code, for example Section 33 of the UP Revenue Code, 2006, or the mutation provisions of the Rajasthan, MP or Bihar tenancy and land revenue laws. Most states now accept applications online through their land records or e-district portals, and UP runs periodic virasat drives where lekhpals record pending successions village by village. The usual papers:

• death certificate of the recorded holder,
• proof of heirship: family register extract, legal heir certificate, or succession certificate where needed,
• registered will, if one exists,
• current khatauni or jamabandi copy of the holding,
• identity proof of each heir, and consent or notice details for all heirs.

After filing, the patwari or lekhpal verifies, a public notice invites objections, and if none arrive the officer records the mutation. Many states notify a service timeline for undisputed inheritance mutation, commonly 30 to 90 days under the state revenue rules or public service guarantee law. Ask the tehsil counter for the notified period in writing, or look it up on the state service guarantee portal.

1. Week 1: get the status on record. Check the application on the state land records portal (Bhulekh in UP, Apna Khata in Rajasthan, MP Bhulekh, and equivalents) and ask the tehsil counter what is pending. Note names and dates.
2. Week 2 to 3: one-page reminder to the Tehsildar. Quote the application number, filing date and the notified timeline. Hand it in at the counter and keep a stamped copy.
3. Week 4 onwards: RTI to the tehsil PIO. Revenue records and mutation files sit with a public authority, so they are fully RTI-able under your state RTI rules. Use the template below.
4. If an objection or refusal appears: undisputed turns disputed, and the matter goes before the revenue court. An order of the Tehsildar can be appealed to the SDM or SDO and onwards under the state code, within the limitation the order itself states, often 30 to 90 days.

To the Public Information Officer,
Office of the Tehsildar, [tehsil], district [.....]

Regarding mutation (virasat) application no. [.....] dated [.....] for khasra
no. [.....], village [.....], filed after the death of [name] on [date]:

1. The current status of the application and the name and designation of the
   official with whom the file is pending as on today.
2. The date on which the lekhpal/patwari report was called for and the date
   on which it was received, with a copy of the report.
3. Dates of issue of the public notice inviting objections, and details of
   any objection received.
4. The timeline notified for undisputed inheritance mutation in this state,
   and the reasons recorded on file for exceeding it in this case.
5. Certified copy of the order sheet of the mutation case file.

Send it with the state RTI fee, normally Rs 10, through the state RTI portal or by post. The PIO has 30 days. The state RTI portal directory gives you the right channel, and this walkthrough covers format and fees. No reply or an evasive reply earns a free first appeal, and PIOs know a penalty under Section 20 sits behind it. In practice, mutation files move once these questions are asked, because the answers expose exactly who sat on the file.

• Leaving daughters off the application. Daughters are equal heirs. A mutation recorded without all heirs can be reopened and delays everything later.
• Treating mutation as proof of title in a family dispute. It is not. Settle or litigate succession separately; do not expect the Tehsildar to decide it.
• Paying “speed money” to the lekhpal. It marks your file as paying. Use the written reminder, the RTI and the service guarantee appeal instead.
• Not collecting the order and the updated khatauni. The job is done only when the new khatauni shows the heirs' names. Verify online and keep a certified copy.

Most states fix 30 to 90 days through their revenue rules or service guarantee law. Get your state's notified figure in writing and start escalation once it is crossed.

Apply as soon as you have the death certificate. Some state codes expect reporting of succession within a few months, and long gaps invite questions, but a late application is still accepted.

Yes, in most states. UP Bhulekh, Rajasthan Apna Khata, MP Bhulekh and similar portals show the khatauni and often the mutation case status against your application number.

No. Notice to all heirs is required, but an heir abroad can give consent through an attested authorisation. Ask the tehsil for the accepted format.

The case becomes contested and is decided by the revenue officer after hearing both sides, with appeal to the SDM and higher revenue courts. Where the dispute is about the will or succession itself, a civil suit may be needed.

Yes, by state, and it is small, typically tens to a few hundred rupees. Anything beyond the receipted amount is not a fee.

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Download the inheritance mutation checklist (PDF).