No red tape: Automatic mutation to expedite land transactions in Karnataka | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: In a major reform aimed at cutting unwarranted delays and reducing official discretion in land administration, the revenue dept has enabled automatic mutation aimed at faster updation of property entries in the state’s record of rights.Mutation refers to the official process of updating land revenue records to reflect a change in property ownership after events such as sale, inheritance, gift, partition or court order. When ownership changes, the new owner’s name is entered in the record of rights (RTC/pahani) and related registers, and a mutation entry or mutation register (MR) extract is issued as proof of this update.In a notification issued Friday, the govt has enabled automatic mutation in cases where no objections are received within the prescribed period after notice. Under the new system, once a notice of a proposed mutation is issued and the objection window closes without any response, the mutation will be carried out automatically, provided documents are verified and there is no subsisting court stay or injunction.Officials said the move targets thousands of mutation files that remain pending despite notices being served and objection periods lapsing, causing avoidable hardship to landowners. Mutation of land records is essential for farmers, property buyers and legal heirs to access bank loans, crop insurance, subsidies and govt schemes pertaining to land. Delays often led to uncertainty in ownership records and stalled land transactions.Principal secretary (revenue) Rajender Kumar Kataria told STOI: “This reform significantly reduces human interface and discretionary delays, which have long been cited as the sources of corruption in the mutation process. By making the system rule-based, time-bound and digitally-triggered, the scope for files being held back or moved selectively is expected to be minimised.”Kataria added: “The system itself will carry out the mutation once all legal conditions are met. There is no room for subjective delays.”The process will be implemented through digital platforms such as Bhoomi and the Revenue Court Case Management System (RCCMS), creating an electronic trail for issuance of notice, expiry of objection period, verification and updation of records. The govt notification has clarified that the automatic process will not apply to disputed cases. If objections are filed or rival claims exist, the mutation will continue to follow the regular enquiry procedure. Authorities retain powers to revise, correct or cancel mutation entries if they are later found to have been obtained through fraud, misrepresentation or suppression of facts. Directions have been sent to regional commissioners, deputy commissioners, tahsildars and registration authorities to operationalise the changes, Kataria stated.