Importance of Pahani

Pahani is one of the most important revenue records kept by the Department of Revenue for agricultural land. Pahani is a revenue record that contains all the details of a land. It contains some valuable data related to the particular terrain, such as:

• Owner details such as owner name, owner responsibilities, and grower details
• Survey Number, Land Hissa Number and Khatha Number
• Total land under Pahani and public rights over Lan
• Land use under various categories
• Land Income Details
• Water rate, soil type, number of trees
• Details of Crops grown in season and mixed crops
• Valuation and Nature of Land Possession

Pahani is therefore a combined document providing all the details on Registration of Rights, Tenure and Crops. It is also called “Patta” in the neighboring states of Karnataka.

Crop details will be written to the RTC once or twice a year, depending on the seasons. Crop information will be written by the Village Accountant after inspecting the field. If there is something wrong with the crop information, a request to change the crop information in the Pahani can be submitted to the Pahani Center / Village Accountant. It will be changed after verification by the Town Accountant/Revenue Inspector.

A person can get the signed copy of computerized Pahani from the Pahani Center which is located at the Tahsildar Office by paying Rs.15. It can also be collected by paying Rs 15 to the village accountant/revenue inspector, who in turn will collect the computerized Pahani from the Pahani Center and give it to the person. It is important to verify all entries in the RTC.

The Karnataka Government issued the order saying that in computerized Taluka, only computer generated RTCs are valid for all legal purposes. Handwritten RTC will not be recognized by the government.

It is the most important document that is required during the purchase of land. Pahani is needed for the following purposes:

• To know the authenticity of a seller when buying land
• To present at the office of Deputy Registrars during a sale transaction
• To increase the amount of a bank loan
• To file in court in case of civil litigation
• for personal purposes

Mutation:

The details like the name of the owner or his details like the liabilities are changed due to some transactions. This process is known as mutation. The mutation can occur due to one of the following reasons:

• J-Slip-Sale by registered deed
• Inheritance – Change of Ownership due to death of the Owner
• Division of land within the family
• Pledge/Release – Change in liabilities due to bank loan or bank repayment
• Based on court order
• Alienation – Conversion of agricultural land to other purposes
• Government acquisition for public purposes
• Government granting land to poor people

In these cases, when the name of the owner changes, the new owner must approach the Department of Revenue with the documents required to change their names. This can also be done by applying at the Pahani Center and collecting the award.

Similarly, when taking out a loan or making a payment, the details of the responsibilities can be changed by submitting the application with the required documents at the Pahani Center.