Tehsildar, Patwari, Sub-Registrar: Who Does What in Land Records

A patwari keeps the village land record, a tehsildar is the revenue officer who runs the tehsil and decides most mutations, and a sub-registrar registers deeds such as sale and gift deeds in a separate department. Mutation and demarcation start at the tehsil; registering a deed or getting an encumbrance search happens at the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO); ownership disputes go to the civil court.

Names change from state to state, which is why families abroad so often go to the wrong office. This guide maps every officer, what they sign, and which office to approach for which task.

How is India's land system organised?

There are two separate departments, and mixing them up is the most common mistake. The revenue department keeps the land record and the map. The registration department records deeds.

• Revenue department: patwari, then kanungo or revenue inspector, then naib tehsildar and tehsildar, then the SDM, then the collector or deputy commissioner. It keeps the record of rights, enters mutations and does demarcation.
• Registration department: sub-registrar and joint sub-registrar, then the district registrar, under each state's Inspector General of Registration. It registers deeds under the Registration Act, 1908.

A sale works through both. The deed is registered at the SRO; then the revenue office enters a mutation so the record shows the buyer. A forged deed passes through the SRO first, which is why an encumbrance search there is such a useful check.

Who is the patwari, and what is the patwari called in each state?

The patwari is the village-level revenue official who keeps the land record, the village map and the crop inspection register for a circle of villages, often called a halka. In English the post is usually called village accountant or village revenue officer.

What the patwari does: updates the record, reports on mutations, carries out the girdawari (crop inspection), helps with demarcation and reports on heir and inheritance cases. A patwari does not decide disputes or approve mutations alone; an officer above does.

Titles shift with reforms, and some states have merged or renamed posts, so treat this as a guide and confirm locally.

Who are the kanungo, girdawar and naib tehsildar?

They are the middle layer between the patwari and the tehsildar. The kanungo (or revenue inspector) supervises several patwaris and checks their records. A girdawar is the same kind of post in Rajasthan, in English a land records inspector. A patwar circle or halka belongs to one patwari; an inspector's circle covers several.

The naib tehsildar is the deputy tehsildar. In many states naib tehsildars decide routine, undisputed mutations and attend to certificates, so your file may never reach the tehsildar.

What does a tehsildar do, and what is a tehsildar equivalent to?

A tehsildar is the revenue officer in charge of a tehsil or taluka. In English, "tehsildar" or "revenue officer of the tehsil" is the usual translation. The post sits below the SDM and the collector in the revenue hierarchy, and in most states the tehsildar is also an executive magistrate.

What a tehsildar signs or decides:

• Mutation orders, especially disputed ones, after notice and hearing.
• Demarcation orders, sending revenue staff to measure and mark boundaries.
• Corrections of clerical errors in the record.
• Certificates such as income, residence and, in many states, legal heir certificates.
• Revenue court cases at the first level, under the state's land revenue law.

The SDM (sub-divisional magistrate or officer, called assistant commissioner in Karnataka and RDO in Tamil Nadu and Kerala) usually hears the first appeal against a tehsildar's order. The collector or deputy commissioner heads the district and hears further appeals or revisions. Above that, many states have a divisional commissioner and a Board of Revenue or revenue tribunal.

What does a sub-registrar do?

A sub-registrar registers documents about property under the Registration Act, 1908: sale deeds, gift deeds, mortgages, leases, relinquishment deeds and powers of attorney. They check identity and stamp duty, record the parties and witnesses, and keep the registered copy and its index.

• SRO full form: Sub-Registrar Office.
• Joint sub-registrar: an additional registering officer with the same powers, posted where one office is not enough.
• "Sub registrar is tehsildar?" Usually they are different people in different departments. In Punjab and Haryana, tehsildars and naib tehsildars commonly act as sub-registrar and joint sub-registrar, so the same office registers the deed and later enters the mutation.

The sub-registrar does not decide who owns land, and does not update the land record. Registration records the transaction; the revenue office then mutates it. Encumbrance certificates and registration searches come from the registration side; see our encumbrance certificate guide.

Which office do I need for which task?

Use this table, then the quick helper below it. Where states differ, it gives the usual office and you should confirm locally.

In Maharashtra, measurement (mojani) is done by the separate land records department rather than the tehsil. For the steps, see our demarcation guide.

30-second helper

Which office do I need?

01What do you need to do?

✍️Change the name in the record📜Register a deed (sale, gift, release)📏Find or fix my boundary📄Get a copy of my land record⚠️Someone claims my land

General guidance, not legal or tax advice. Check your own case with a local professional.

How do you deal with these offices from abroad?

Most of it can be started without flying home. Many states take mutation and demarcation applications online, records are online, and a lawyer or relative can follow up in person.

• For information, no power of attorney is needed. Anyone can look up a public record or ask the patwari a question.
• For filing and appearing, use a lawyer with a vakalatnama, or a narrow power of attorney for one task only.
• For a reluctant office, use RTI. A Right to Information application asks for copies of the record, mutation file or order, with a deadline to reply.

How do you know if something changes in your record?

The patwari and tehsil will not tell you. Most wrong mutations go through a notice period, so the earlier you see a pending change, the easier it is to stop.

PlotPehra checks the official land record every week in 19 states and flags a new mutation entry, a new owner, or a changed share or area, and watches the land itself in Sentinel-2 satellite images. A real person reviews each change and tells you which office to approach. No power of attorney, ever.

Official titles and powers change with state law and reorganisation. This is general information, so confirm the right office with the tehsil or a local property lawyer before filing anything.