Property Mutation Pending: Fix Municipal and Revenue Records 2026

If you live abroad: see the NRI property guide for stopping illegal sale, fixing mutation and handling tenant or family disputes.

Mutation, called dakhil kharij in Hindi, namantaran in Marathi and patta transfer in Tamil, is the act of updating the government record of who owns or pays tax on a piece of property. It is not the transfer of title. Title passes through a registered sale deed, gift deed, partition deed, succession certificate or Will under the Transfer of Property Act 1882, the Registration Act 1908 and the Hindu Succession Act 1956 or Indian Succession Act 1925, depending on faith. Mutation only updates two parallel record sets so that future tax bills, electricity transfers and loan sanctions reach the right person.

The two record sets are:

• Revenue record (rural and peri-urban) maintained by the Tehsildar, Patwari, Village Officer or Talati under the State Land Revenue Code. Examples: Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964, Tamil Nadu Patta Pass Book Act 1983, Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act 1950, Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code 1959, Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955, West Bengal Land Reforms Act 1955.
• Municipal record (urban) maintained by the Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council or Nagar Panchayat under the State Municipal Act. This drives the annual property tax bill and the khata or assessment number used by utilities.

A mutation entry does not by itself create or extinguish ownership. The Supreme Court in Suraj Bhan v. Financial Commissioner (2007) 6 SCC 186 and Sawarni v. Inder Kaur (1996) 6 SCC 223 has repeatedly held that mutation is a fiscal entry for the limited purpose of collecting land revenue or property tax. So a pending mutation does not by itself stop you from selling, gifting or willing the property. It only blocks the next layer: clean property tax in your name, fresh electricity or water connection, bank loan against the property, sub-division, conversion of use, and many State stamp-duty rebates.

Field interviews and RTI replies from 2024 and 2025 across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, UP, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat and West Bengal show six recurring reasons:

1. Objection window not closed. Most States require a 15 to 30 day public notice and objection period under their Land Revenue Rules. If no one objects, the file should move; in practice it sits.
2. Missing legal heir certificate or succession certificate in inheritance cases. The Tehsildar will refuse to mutate on a bare death certificate.
3. Stamp duty deficiency flagged by the Sub-Registrar at the time of registration. The mutation office freezes the file till the deficiency is paid.
4. Partition disputes between co-heirs or co-owners, especially where one heir is a minor or NRI.
5. Data migration glitch between the old manual register and the new e-mutation portal (Bhulekh UP, Mahabhulekh Maharashtra, Bhumi West Bengal, AnyRoR Gujarat, Webland Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Bhoomi Karnataka, Apna Khata Rajasthan, Jamabandi Haryana).
6. Pure file-pushing delay at the Patwari, Kanungo, Tehsildar or Revenue Inspector level. This is the most common and the one that an RTI flushes out fastest.

Most State Land Revenue Manuals and Municipal Acts fix an outer limit. Useful citations to drop into your application:

• Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, Section 150 read with Rule 108 of the MLR (Record of Rights) Rules 1971: mutation entry within 90 days of intimation, objections decided within 1 year.
• Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964, Section 128 read with Rule 53 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Rules 1966: certified copy of mutation register within 30 days.
• Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code 2006, Section 34 and Rule 36: namantaran to be decided after 30 days public notice, total file life ordinarily 45 days.
• Tamil Nadu Patta Pass Book Act 1983, Section 5: patta transfer on application, time limit fixed by Government from time to time (currently 30 working days under the Tamil Nadu Public Services (Guarantee) Act 2011).
• Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957, Section 128 and Property Tax Bye-laws 2004: mutation within 90 days of complete application; failure attracts a deemed approval in many circles after Government of NCT of Delhi notification dated 6 January 2022.
• Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 1976, Section 114: khata transfer within 30 days under Sakala Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act 2011.
• Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act 1949, Section 153: mutation within 21 days of completion of formalities.
• Telangana Municipalities Act 2019, Section 86: mutation through Dharani or TS-bPASS within 21 days.

If your case crosses the timeline above and you have proof of submission, you already have a cause of action. The next four sections show how to use it.

Block half an hour. Keep your sale deed or gift deed, identity proof, latest property tax receipt, and any acknowledgement slip from the mutation office in front of you.

1. Minute 0 to 5: locate your file number. Log in to the State e-mutation portal (Bhulekh, Mahabhulekh, Bhumi, AnyRoR, Webland, Bhoomi, Apna Khata, Jamabandi, Dharani, Banglarbhumi). Search by survey number, khata number, owner name or registration number. Note the application ID and current stage.
2. Minute 5 to 10: take three screenshots. (a) the “pending” status page with date stamp, (b) the citizen charter or service guarantee page of the same portal that promises a time limit, © the original acknowledgement of submission.
3. Minute 10 to 18: draft a written reminder addressed to the Tehsildar, Sub-Registrar or Municipal Revenue Officer. Quote the application ID, date of submission, statutory timeline crossed, and the relief sought. Send by email and by Speed Post. Keep the Speed Post receipt; the barcode is your evidence.
4. Minute 18 to 25: file a parallel RTI under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act 2005 addressed to the Public Information Officer of the Tehsildar, Municipal Corporation or Revenue Department. The standard fee is Rupees 10 by IPO, court fee stamp, demand draft or online payment on the State RTI portal. Ask the six questions in the sample below.
5. Minute 25 to 30: open a CPGRAMS and State portal complaint. CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in for Union and Union Territory matters, and the State portal (Aaple Sarkar Maharashtra, Sevasindhu Karnataka, Jansunwai UP, Jan Soochna Rajasthan, Meeseva Telangana, MyGov Tamil Nadu) for the State subject. Add the screenshots and the Speed Post tracking number.

Across roughly 60 documented cases shared on the Wiki community thread between July 2024 and February 2026, the median time from RTI filing to mutation order was 17 days, with 80 per cent of files cleared within 30 days of RTI submission. The RTI does not directly order mutation; it forces the officer to write an explanation, and an officer who has to defend the delay in writing usually prefers to just decide the file.

Before you complain or file the RTI, make sure your own paperwork is clean. A mutation officer who can refuse on a missing document will. Carry originals and two sets of self-attested photocopies of:

• Registered sale deed, gift deed, partition deed, release deed or Will, with index II from the Sub-Registrar.
• Stamp duty and registration fee receipts.
• Latest property tax paid receipt in the seller's or predecessor's name, plus the assessment extract.
• No Objection Certificate from the housing society, builder or development authority where applicable.
• For inheritance: death certificate of the previous owner, legal heir certificate from the Tehsildar or Taluk office, family tree affidavit on Rupees 100 non-judicial stamp paper, succession certificate from the District Judge if there is movable property or a Will under probate jurisdiction.
• For gift: registered gift deed plus an acceptance letter signed by the donee during the lifetime of the donor, as required by Section 122 of the Transfer of Property Act 1882.
• For partition: registered partition deed, or an oral partition recorded by a memorandum of family settlement, plus latest revenue map.
• Aadhaar, PAN and one passport size photograph of the applicant.
• Electricity bill, water bill or LPG connection in the property address as cross proof of possession.
• Builder allotment letter, possession certificate and Occupancy Certificate for flats.
• Encumbrance Certificate for the previous 13 years from the Sub-Registrar.

Keep a one-page index on top. Number every page. Mutation clerks visibly relax when the file is page-numbered, and the file moves faster.

Use this escalation ladder if the Tehsildar route is the right one (rural land, agricultural plots, peri-urban plots, gram panchayat areas, most inheritance cases).

1. Patwari, Village Officer, Karnam, Talati or Lekhpal. The cutcherry level. Apply on Form 6 or the State equivalent. Service deadline is usually 7 to 15 days for the initial entry in the rojnamcha or panchnama.
2. Revenue Inspector or Kanungo. Verifies the field report and forwards to the Tehsildar.
3. Tehsildar. Issues the mutation order on Form A or the State equivalent, after objections.
4. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO). First appeal under the State Land Revenue Code. Usually 60 days from the order or from deemed refusal.
5. District Collector or District Magistrate. Second appeal or revision.
6. Divisional Commissioner or Director of Land Records. Final administrative revision.
7. State Revenue Tribunal or Board of Revenue. Quasi-judicial appellate body in most States.
8. State High Court under Article 226. Writ jurisdiction if the revenue tribunal route is exhausted or there is patent illegality.

Use this ladder for urban flats, apartments, villas and commercial units inside a Municipal Corporation, Council or Nagar Panchayat.

1. Ward Office. Submit the mutation or khata transfer application with all annexures.
2. Assistant Revenue Officer or Tax Inspector. Verifies and recommends.
3. Deputy or Joint Commissioner (Revenue). Issues the khata order.
4. Municipal Commissioner. First administrative appeal under the State Municipal Act.
5. State Urban Development Department. Second appeal in many States.
6. District Magistrate or Urban Local Body Director. Grievance route.
7. State Lokayukta. For misconduct or demand for bribe.
8. State High Court for writ relief.

RTI is a fast, low-cost diagnostic tool. It is not a substitute for the mutation application itself. File the mutation application first. Wait for the statutory time. Then use RTI to ask:

• What is the current status of file number XYZ?
• Which officer has been holding the file and from which date?
• What objections, if any, have been recorded?
• What is the next step in the workflow as per the citizen charter?
• What is the average disposal time for mutation applications in this office for the last 12 months?
• Provide certified copies of all file notings and movement registers.

The trick is the last bullet. Once a citizen asks for certified copies of file notings, the dealing clerk has to physically open the file, list every noting, and get them attested. That activity itself moves the file forward in 7 out of 10 cases.

If the property dispute involves a third party challenge, fraud or impersonation, RTI alone will not solve it. Add a complaint under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (cheating) and Section 336 BNS (forgery) at the local police station, and trigger Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 for registration of an FIR. The RTI then runs in parallel to extract the paper trail.

Copy the block below, fill in the bracketed fields, print on A4, sign in blue ink, attach Rupees 10 IPO or the State online receipt, and Speed Post to the PIO. For Below Poverty Line applicants under Section 7(5) of the RTI Act 2005, the fee is waived; enclose a self-attested BPL card copy.

To,
The Public Information Officer
[Office of the Tehsildar or Municipal Revenue Officer]
[Full postal address]

Sub: Application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act 2005 regarding pending property mutation, file number [XXXX] dated [DD-MM-YYYY].

Sir or Madam,

I, [Applicant Name], resident of [Address], an Indian citizen, submitted an application for mutation of property bearing [Survey No or Khata No or Property ID] in respect of land or premises situated at [Full address] on [Date of submission], acknowledgement number [XXXX]. The application is for transfer of name on account of [sale deed, gift deed, inheritance, partition, or death of recorded owner]. As per the citizen charter of your office and the [State Land Revenue Code or Municipal Act], the matter ought to have been decided within [number] days.

The matter is still shown as "pending" on the [name of e-mutation portal] portal as of [date]. I therefore request the following information under the Right to Information Act 2005:

1. The current status of file number [XXXX], with the name and designation of the official currently holding the file.
2. Date-wise movement of the file from the date of submission, including dates of receipt and dispatch at each desk.
3. Copies of all objections, reports and notings recorded on the file, duly certified.
4. Reasons for the delay in disposal beyond the time fixed by the citizen charter and the parent statute.
5. The standard operating procedure, internal time-limit and disposal statistics for mutation applications in this office for the financial year 2025-26.
6. Action proposed to dispose of file number [XXXX], with a definite date by which the mutation order will be issued.

A fee of Rupees 10 by Indian Postal Order number [XXXX] dated [DD-MM-YYYY] is enclosed. I declare that I am an Indian citizen.

If any part of the requested information is held by another public authority, please transfer this application under Section 6(3) of the Act within five days and intimate me.

Yours sincerely,
[Signature]
[Name]
[Email and mobile]
[Date and place]

For inheritance specific RTIs you can also use the ready-made template at RTI for Property Mutation Delay, which is preformatted for the legal heir scenario.

A representative recent pattern from the Wiki community thread, names anonymised:

• A retired teacher in Pune, Maharashtra registered a sale deed in March 2025 for a flat in a co-operative housing society. The Pune Municipal Corporation khata portal continued to show the seller as the assessee till August 2025. The buyer filed a written reminder on 12 August 2025 and an RTI on the same day asking for file notings. The mutation order was passed on 26 August 2025, 14 days from RTI submission, citing “data migration backlog” as the reason for delay.
• A homemaker in Hyderabad inherited a plot from her late father in October 2024 with a Will. The Telangana Dharani portal kept rejecting the application for missing legal heir certificate. After a Tehsildar level legal heir certificate was issued in January 2025, the mutation still stayed pending for four more months. An RTI on 6 May 2025 asking for the ROR movement register and the name of the dealing Tahsildar produced a mutation order on 22 May 2025.
• A small business owner in Indore, Madhya Pradesh bought a commercial shop in 2023 but never completed mutation because the seller had an outstanding property tax dues notice. The Municipal Corporation refused to act till the dues were cleared. The buyer paid the dues “without prejudice” in November 2025, filed an undertaking, and used the RTI route to ask whether dues clearance triggers automatic mutation. The reply, citing Section 138 of the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act 1956, confirmed automatic mutation within 30 days. The order was issued on day 28.

The numbers vary by State, but the lesson is consistent. The mutation file is rarely “stuck” because of any legal block. It is usually parked. The RTI and the parallel grievance ticket force movement.

Each State portal uses different status flags. Common labels and what they actually mean:

• “Submitted” or “Initiated” is when the application has reached the workflow but no officer has picked it up. Trigger the reminder and RTI after the citizen charter deadline.
• “Under verification” or “Field verification” means the Patwari or Tax Inspector has been allotted the file. The next bottleneck is the field visit. Call the Patwari office and offer a date.
• “Notice issued” or “Objection invited” means the public notice or ishtihar is up on the office board or in the official gazette. The 15 to 30 day clock has started. Track the end of this window.
• “Objection received” means someone has filed an objection. Ask the office for a copy under RTI immediately. You have a right to reply.
• “Forwarded to higher authority” means the file has moved up. Find out to whom and follow up there.
• “Approved” or “Order issued” means you should collect the certified copy from the office and verify the entry on the portal. Do not stop until the entry actually changes.
• “Rejected” means you should read the order carefully and file a first appeal within the limitation period, usually 30 to 60 days.

Most portals also expose a public dashboard of pending applications by office. If your office shows a consistently long pendency, mention that in your RTI as a sixth question. It changes the tone of the file from individual to systemic and tends to escalate faster.

• Not paying property tax for the year of transfer. Many municipal mutations fail because the latest year tax is unpaid. Pay it first, even if disputed, and seek refund later.
• Mixing up mutation with title transfer. Mutation does not give title. Do not skip the sale deed registration assuming a mutation entry is enough. Section 17 of the Registration Act 1908 requires registration of immovable property transfers above Rupees 100.
• Filing partial documents. Submit a single complete file. Repeat submissions reset the workflow at some offices.
• Ignoring the objection notice. If you are the buyer and someone objects, missing the hearing means losing by default.
• Skipping the Speed Post. Hand delivery without a date stamped receipt is hard to prove.
• Filing RTI on day 1. Wait for the statutory time first. An RTI before the deadline gives the officer the easy reply “still within time.”
• Asking vague RTI questions. Avoid “kindly inform the status.” Use the six specific questions from the sample.
• Forgetting to update mutation in both records. Many citizens update municipal khata but forget the revenue record, or vice versa. Run both.

Strictly, no. Title passes on registration under the Registration Act 1908. But without mutation, the property tax bill keeps coming in the seller's name, utilities will not transfer, and you cannot mortgage the property. So it is practically essential.

Most State Land Revenue Codes and Municipal Acts fix between 21 and 90 days. The Citizen Service Guarantee Acts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Punjab give an enforceable deadline. If you cross it, you can claim compensation in some States.

Yes in most States. Bhulekh UP, Mahabhulekh Maharashtra, AnyRoR Gujarat, Webland Andhra Pradesh, Dharani Telangana, Bhoomi Karnataka, Apna Khata Rajasthan, Jamabandi Haryana and Banglarbhumi West Bengal all accept online mutation. Documents are uploaded, and field verification still happens offline.

You can still mutate as a buyer based on the registered sale deed alone. The death of the seller does not invalidate a properly registered sale. Attach the death certificate to your file as a courtesy.

Usually no for immovable property. A legal heir certificate from the Tehsildar plus the death certificate is enough in most States. Succession certificates under the Indian Succession Act 1925 are mainly for movable property like bank balances and shares.

No. Mutation is a free or fixed-fee statutory service. Any demand beyond the gazette notified fee is bribery under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. Report to the State Anti-Corruption Bureau or Lokayukta.

Khata A is issued when the property meets all bye-laws. Khata B is a register for properties that violate plan or have construction issues; it allows tax collection but not full title benefits. Convert B to A by regularising under the relevant scheme.

No. RTI is a parallel right under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act 2005. The PIO is bound to reply within 30 days. The mutation officer cannot refuse to process the application because an RTI is pending. If anything, it accelerates.

File a first appeal under the State Land Revenue Code or Municipal Act before the SDM, RDO or Municipal Commissioner within the period of limitation, usually 30 to 60 days. Attach the rejection order and your full file. A second appeal lies to the Collector or State Revenue Tribunal.

Yes, if the power of attorney is registered and specifically authorises sale or transfer. After the Supreme Court ruling in Suraj Lamp and Industries v. State of Haryana (2012) 1 SCC 656, unregistered general power of attorney transfers are not recognised as conveyance. Use a registered sale deed.

• Property Tax Demand Wrong: Appeal Route, sibling article on disputing property tax assessments that often surface during mutation.
• Apartment Society Maintenance Overcharge covers society NOC issues that block urban mutation.
• RWA Blocking Tenant Entry or Delivery applies when a housing society refuses to issue a No Objection Certificate.
• Death Certificate Delay or Correction is the sibling article essential for inheritance mutation.
• Security Deposit Not Returned is the adjacent landlord-tenant guide.
• State Grievance Portals Comparison 2026 lists State portals for parallel escalation.
• File RTI Online: State by State explains how to file the parallel RTI digitally.
• Citizen RTI Playbook is the master guide to filing and escalating RTIs.
• RTI for Property Mutation Delay is the ready-made RTI letter template for inheritance and sale mutation cases.

• Transfer of Property Act 1882, India Code
• Registration Act 1908, India Code
• Hindu Succession Act 1956, India Code
• Indian Succession Act 1925, India Code
• Right to Information Act 2005, rti.gov.in
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, India Code
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, India Code
• Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, Mahabhulekh portal
• Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964, Bhoomi portal
• Tamil Nadu Patta Pass Book Act 1983, TN e-Services
• Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code 2006, UP Bhulekh
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Webland and Dharani, Dharani
• West Bengal Land Reforms Act 1955 and Banglarbhumi, Banglarbhumi
• Gujarat AnyRoR, AnyRoR
• Haryana Jamabandi, Jamabandi
• Rajasthan Apna Khata, Apna Khata
• Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), pgportal.gov.in

For the social and hero card at ``/social/auto/property-mutation-pending-municipal-revenue-correction-india.png``: a flat-design illustration of an Indian citizen handing a stamped property file across a wooden counter to a clerk under a saffron name-board reading “Tehsildar Office”, with a translucent overlay showing a tablet displaying an “e-mutation status: pending” screen, in the RTI Wiki green and white palette, 1200 by 630 pixels, friendly and trustworthy, no text other than the office board.