How to read 7/12 land record like a lawyer ?

How to read 7/12 land record is very important question everyone faces before buying a land in India because land holds great emotional value, especially for people who have moved from villages to cities and dream of owning land to build their homes. Similarly, urban residents often aspire to buy a farmhouse. However, purchasing land is not as simple as buying a gadget from a store. Many people rely on lawyers to verify land records. But reading 7/12 land record in Maharashtra and its key terms can help you make informed and confident decisions when buying land.

What is 7/12 ?

In Maharashtra, land records are maintained in the form of village registers as provided under Maharashtra Land Revenue Code . Of these forms 7/12 extract is very important . The 7/12 land record combines two village forms:

• • Form 7 (Record of Rights): It is also called ‘Record of rights’. For the common persons it can be similar to details of land ownership.

• • Form 12 (Register of Crops): Form 12 is appended to form 7 above and contains information about crops grown on the land.

These two forms merge into one document, the 7/12 extract, which offers a complete record of ,nature of occupancy , land ownership , rights of other persons interested in land , status of mortgage of land,and crop cultivation details etc . Reading of 7/12 helps in understanding legal issues involved in land and is a big step in making property decisions.

How to read 7/12 and its key terms ?

1. 1. Survey Number
      Each piece of land in a village is uniquely numbered as a survey number or Gat number. Sometimes, these survey numbers are further divided into sub-survey numbers.

1. 1. Gat Number
      Maharashtra’s government has consolidated small survey numbers into larger units called Gat numbers, replacing survey numbers in many cases.

1. 1. Types of Occupancy
      This is the most important entry in the 7/12 extract. An occupant is a person who legally owns and possesses the land. Occupants must pay land revenue to the government. This is like tax on cultivation of land. There are two types of occupancy:
      

       

      • • Occupancy Class 1: These lands are transferable and can be sold, mortgaged, leased, exchanged, gifted, or inherited without prior permission of government.
      • • Occupancy Class 2: These lands are granted lands for various services provided by persons for the benefit of village or temple etc. Example of this type is Mahar Watan, Devsthan Watan etc . Also lands which are hold by tenants under The Maharashtra Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act comes under this category. Occupant class 2 lands cannot be transferred without government permission.
      • • The government can give permission to convert occupant class 2 land in to occupant class 1 land subject to conditions like paying nazrana etc.

1. 1. Name of Occupant
      This column lists the names of landowners and the area they hold. It also includes a mutation entry number, which helps trace ownership history.

1. 1. Mutation Number (Ferfar number ) Mutation is the process of recording any changes in land record. These changes can be change of owner , mortgage of land, tenancy etc .Mutation entries are recorded in Form VI , also called Mutation register. This process is most crucial aspect considering litigation involved before revenue authorities. Examination of mutation number and register is essential for the Title search of land also .

1. 1. Khata Number
      Each landowner in the village gets a unique khata number linked to a specific page in the register. This number helps identify the total area owned by a person across various locations in the village.

1. 1. Area
      The land area is divided in to cultivable and non-cultivable portions also called “pot kharaba”, and mentioned in the left column. Potkharaba land is the rockey, follow not fit for cultivation , reserved for road or public amenties etc. Land revenue is assessed based on rates provided in the form’s assessment table.

1. 1. Other Rights
      This column, on the right side, records additional rights linked to the land. It includes:
      

       

      • • Loans taken against the land, mortgage of land.
      • • Ownership details of wells and bore wells.
      • • Tenancy rights.
      • • Names of other persons having an interest in the land.
      • • Information on pending court cases (lis pendens) if registered .

Form 12

Form 12 documents the types and details of crops grown on the land. Form 7/12 is considered to be of the year last shown in the form 12 only. Therefore before buying land, ensure these records are up-to-date, including data for the current year. Even for purchasing of land. this is essential for accurately valuing the land for ready recknor rate and calculation of stamp duty depends on it . Buyers must verify these crop records for proper evaluation.

Conclusion
Reading the 7/12 land record is essential for anyone involved in property transactions in Maharashtra. saatbara is the base in title search of property. one can download 7/12 for free https://bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in/ .Knowing key terms like occupancy, khata number, and other rights can help buyers make informed decisions and avoid legal complications. By mastering these details, you can handle property purchases more confidently and efficiently.