Ferfar Meaning in English: Maharashtra Mutation Entry Explained

Ferfar (फेरफार) means "change", and in Maharashtra land records it means a mutation entry: the numbered entry that records a sale, inheritance, loan or partition before the 7/12 is updated. You can check ferfar status and notices online on Aapli Chawdi and the 7/12 itself, and get copies of old entries from the e-Records portal or the talathi. If the word "ferfar" on your family's 7/12 has been a mystery, this guide decodes it, and shows what to do when an entry looks wrong.

What does ferfar mean in English?

Ferfar is Maharashtra's word for a mutation entry. When rights in agricultural land change, the talathi (village revenue officer) writes the change into the village mutation register, called Village Form 6 (गाव नमुना 6, the ferfar register), and gives it a serial number.

That number is the ferfar number. Once the entry is certified, the 7/12 extract is updated and the ferfar number is printed next to the changed name.

Other states use other words for the same thing: intkal in Punjab, dakhil-kharij in Bihar, varsai or hakk patrak entries in Gujarat. Our guide to mutation, intkal and dakhil-kharij compares them.

How is a ferfar entered after a sale or inheritance (varas)?

Every ferfar follows the same path: a change is reported, the talathi writes the entry, notice goes out, and the circle officer (mandal adhikari) certifies it after hearing any objection. What differs is how the change reaches the talathi.

After a sale or gift

When a sale or gift deed is registered at the sub-registrar's office, the details now reach the talathi electronically in most of Maharashtra, and the talathi opens a ferfar. The buyer does not always need to apply separately, but it is worth checking that the entry was actually made.

After a death (varas)

Inheritance is not automatic. The Maharashtra Land Revenue Code expects heirs to report the acquisition of rights to the talathi within three months. You can apply at the talathi's office or online through e-Hakk, the revenue department's public data entry system, which also handles requests such as removing a repaid loan.

1. 1

   Collect the papers

   Death certificate, the current 7/12, a list of all legal heirs with addresses (usually in an affidavit), and ID for each heir. If there is a will, a copy of it.
2. 2

   Apply for the varas entry

   Submit through e-Hakk or at the talathi's office. Name every heir, including daughters and family members abroad. Leaving someone out is the most common cause of later disputes.
3. 3

   Talathi writes the ferfar

   The talathi checks the papers and records the varas entry in Form 6 with a new ferfar number. The 7/12 now shows it as pending.
4. 4

   Notice goes to everyone interested

   Written notice goes to the people recorded on the land and to the heirs, and the notice is published on Aapli Chawdi.
5. 5

   Circle officer certifies

   After the objection period, the circle officer certifies the entry, or holds a hearing if someone objected. The heirs' names then appear on the 7/12 with that ferfar number.

Our step-by-step guide on transferring land after a parent's death without a will covers the family side of this.

How long is the notice period, and how do you object?

The objection window is short. Each notice shows the date by which objections must reach the talathi or circle officer, usually a couple of weeks after notice. Maharashtra's notified service time for the whole process is 30 days for an undisputed mutation and up to 365 days for a disputed one, and there is no fee for mutation itself.

An objection is simple: a written letter to the circle officer or talathi naming the village, survey or gat number and ferfar number, saying why the entry is wrong, with copies of your title papers. Once you object, the entry becomes a disputed case and has to be heard before it can be certified.

How do you check ferfar status and download a ferfar copy online?

There are three official places to look, all on the Mahabhumi system. Use the one that matches your question.

Aapli Chawdi is the online version of the village notice board (chawdi). Choose district, taluka and village, and it lists 7/12 ferfar notices with their numbers and dates. This is the best place to catch an entry while it can still be stopped.

Ferfar copy download: many districts' old ferfar registers were scanned under the e-Records project and can be searched and downloaded for a fee on the Aaple Abhilekh portal. Coverage and search options vary by district. For a certified copy you can use in a hearing, apply to the talathi or the tehsil record room, and use an RTI request if it stalls.

Our 7/12 utara online guide walks through Mahabhulekh and Digital Satbara screen by screen, including what to do when the site will not load from abroad.

What does the ferfar number on the 7/12 tell you?

The ferfar number is your audit trail. Each name on the 7/12 usually carries a number in brackets: that is the ferfar that put it there. The list of mutation numbers on the extract shows every change ever made to that survey or gat number.

Read it like this:

• A name with a ferfar number you know (for example, your grandfather's varas entry) is expected.
• A new ferfar number you have never seen means something changed. Get that entry before anything else.
• A crossed-out or bracketed name was removed by a later ferfar. Find which one.
• A new entry in other rights (इतर अधिकार), such as a loan, also comes with its own ferfar.

If you have an old 7/12 saved, compare it line by line with today's.

Maharashtra land record words, decoded

The 7/12 and the ferfar register are written in Marathi. Search the words you see below.

What should you do if a wrong ferfar is certified?

A certified ferfar can still be set aside. The first appeal against it goes to the Sub-Divisional Officer (Prant), and the time limit is short and counted from the order date, so act in days, not months.

1. Get the paper trail. Ask the talathi for a certified copy of the ferfar, the certification order and the documents it relied on: a sale deed, a will, an heir affidavit or a power of attorney.
2. Check whether it is a clerical slip. A spelling or area error is usually fixed through a correction application to the revenue office. Our guide to name correction in land records covers this.
3. Appeal if the basis is wrong. If heirs were left out or the deed is not genuine, file an appeal before the SDO with your title papers and a short statement. If the deadline has passed, ask for the delay to be condoned, explaining that you live abroad and never got notice.
4. Go to civil court if title is disputed. A forged sale deed has to be cancelled by a civil court; the revenue appeal alone cannot do it.
5. File a police complaint for forgery or impersonation.

Our guide to challenging a wrong mutation explains each route and its time limits in detail. Rules and deadlines change, so talk to a local property lawyer in your district on day one.

How do you stop a ferfar from surprising you?

Check on a schedule. Save a dated 7/12 every few months, compare the ferfar numbers, and look at Aapli Chawdi for your village. The weak spot is the gap between checks, because a ferfar can go from notice to certified in about a month.

PlotPehra checks the official 7/12 record for your survey or gat number every week and flags any new ferfar, name, share or area change. A real person reviews it and explains it in English and Marathi by email and WhatsApp, and we also watch the land itself in Sentinel-2 satellite images. All we need is the village and survey or gat number. No power of attorney, ever. More on the state is on our Maharashtra page.