Khatian Correction in Bangladesh 2026: Survey Objections, Land Survey Tribunal Suits and AC Land Corrections

Khatian correction Bangladesh owners need: the 2026 map of remedies

Khatian correction Bangladesh landowners face is rarely a single application. An error in the record of rights can be a misspelt name, a wrong plot number, a share recorded against the wrong heir, or an entire holding written into a stranger's name during a survey. Each of those problems has its own forum, its own deadline and its own standard of proof, and choosing the wrong one can cost years. The law gives three distinct routes: objections and appeals while the survey is still open, a suit before the Land Survey Tribunal once the last revised record has been finally published, and administrative correction by the Assistant Commissioner (Land) for clerical mistakes and fraudulent entries.

This guide explains how each route of khatian correction Bangladesh law offers works under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 and the Tenancy Rules 1955, what the CS, SA, RS and BS khatians mean for a case, how the High Court Division has confined the Tribunal's role, what evidence wins, and the time limits that close each door.

Summary: A wrong khatian is corrected in one of three places: before the AC Land for clerical mistakes and fraud-procured entries under rule 23 of the Tenancy Rules 1955; before the survey officers through rule 30 objections and rule 31 appeals while the survey is open; or, after final publication of the last revised record, in a suit before the Land Survey Tribunal within one year (extendable by a further year). The Tribunal corrects the record but cannot decide title, which remains a matter for the civil court.

Key point: In July 2025 the High Court Division held that it cannot hear a civil revision against a Land Survey Appellate Tribunal judgment, that the Tribunals cannot decide title or possession, and that a disputed BS entry must be traced back to the SA khatian. The appellate decision is effectively the end of the road for a record-correction suit; title must be fought in the civil court.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

Khatian correction Bangladesh basics: what the record proves

A khatian is the record of rights for a holding. It lists the mouza, the khatian number, each plot (dag) with its area and class of land, the names of the recorded owners or tenants, their shares and the rent or land development tax payable. The record is prepared or revised by survey under section 144 of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 and then kept up to date between surveys by mutation under section 143.[2] [7]

Correction matters because the law gives the record real weight. Section 144A provides that every entry in a record prepared or revised under section 144 is evidence of the matter recorded and is presumed correct until it is proved by evidence to be incorrect.[3] A person who is left out of the record, or whose share is understated, therefore starts any later dispute on the back foot. Banks, buyers and registration offices also rely on the current khatian, and since 2023 a seller generally needs an up-to-date khatian in their own name to transfer land at all, a point our guide to land mutation in Bangladesh covers in detail.

Correction is not a declaration of title

The single most important principle in this area is that a khatian is evidence of possession and rights, not a document of title. Ownership flows from registered deeds, inheritance, decrees and settlements. An entry in the wrong name does not transfer ownership, and the correct owner does not lose title because the survey missed them. What the owner loses is the presumption, and with it the practical ability to sell, mortgage, mutate or defend possession without a fight. Khatian correction Bangladesh procedure is therefore about restoring the record so that it matches a title that already exists.

The types of khatian: CS, SA, RS and BS

Bangladesh has been surveyed several times, and each survey produced its own set of khatians for the same land. Knowing which record is which is the first question in any khatian correction Bangladesh matter, because only the last revised record can be challenged in the Land Survey Tribunal.

CS khatian (Cadastral Survey)

The Cadastral Survey was the first detailed plot-by-plot survey of Bengal, carried out under the Bengal Survey Act 1875 and the Bengal Tenancy Act 1885, with survey and settlement operations beginning in the 1880s and continuing into the first decades of the twentieth century.[9] The CS khatian remains the root record in many title investigations because it is the oldest plot-level record of who held what.

SA khatian (State Acquisition)

After the abolition of zamindari, the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 required the record to be prepared again so that the State could take over rent-receiving interests and record raiyats directly under Government.[9] The SA khatian is often the bridge between the colonial record and the modern one. The High Court Division has directed the Tribunals to treat it as the baseline against which a later entry is tested.[10]

RS khatian (Revisional Survey)

The Revisional Survey revised the record under section 144 of the 1950 Act. In many districts the RS khatian is the most recent finally published record; in others it has already been superseded. Where RS is the last revised record, a challenge to it after final publication goes to the Tribunal; where it has been superseded, the RS entry is history and evidence rather than the operative record.

BS khatian (Bangladesh Survey) and city surveys

The Bangladesh Survey, including the city surveys of the metropolitan areas, is the current round of revision. In the areas it has reached, the BS khatian is the last revised record of rights, and it is BS entries that the Land Survey Tribunals spend most of their time correcting.[10] A digital survey is now running in pilot areas such as Amtali in Barguna, which means a new generation of records, and a new generation of errors, is on the way.[14]

Khatian correction Bangladesh law provides during the survey

The cheapest and fastest correction is the one made before the record is finalised. Section 144 requires the Revenue Officer to publish a draft record, receive and consider objections to any entry or omission during the publication period, allow an appeal to an officer not below the rank of Assistant Settlement Officer, and only then frame and finally publish the record.[2] The Tenancy Rules 1955 set out the detail.

Khanapuri, bujharat and attestation

Field surveyors first map each plot and write up the preliminary record (khanapuri), then explain the entries to the holders on the ground (bujharat). The record is then attested, when a revenue officer reads out the entries, hears the people present and corrects mistakes on the spot.[9] Attestation is the stage at which an owner should be present with deeds, mutation khatians, tax receipts and succession documents. An owner who misses it can still object later, but the entry made at attestation becomes the starting point.

Draft publication and rule 30 objections

After attestation the draft record is published under rule 29 for at least thirty days so that the public can inspect it.[9] During that period any aggrieved person may file an objection under rule 30, which is heard and decided by a survey officer.[9] The objection should identify the mouza, khatian and plot numbers, state exactly what the entry should say and attach certified documents. Objections are decided on evidence, so an objection that simply asserts ownership without deeds or succession papers rarely succeeds.

Rule 31 appeals

A party dissatisfied with the decision on a rule 30 objection may appeal under rule 31 to the settlement officer.[9] The appeal is the last opportunity to correct the record inside the survey process. Once appeals are disposed of, the record is finally published, and section 144(7) makes that publication conclusive evidence that the record was duly prepared or revised.[2]

Why the survey-stage remedy matters

Two practical consequences follow. First, civil courts are barred from entertaining suits about the framing, publication, signing or attestation of the record while the survey is running, so the objection and appeal process is the only route at that stage.[1] Second, a person who did not object hands the other side an argument that they accepted the entry, and loses the chance to have it corrected by the officers who prepared it, without the cost and delay of a Tribunal suit.

After final publication: the Land Survey Tribunal

Once the last revised record has been finally published, the dispute moves to the Land Survey Tribunal under Chapter XVIIA of the 1950 Act, inserted in 2004. The Tribunal is a specialist forum with one job: deciding whether the final record is wrong. Our overview of how to resolve land disputes in Bangladesh places it alongside title suits, mutation challenges and criminal remedies; this section goes into the detail of running a correction suit.

Who presides and where

The Government appoints the judge of each Tribunal from among the Joint District Judges after consulting the Supreme Court. Amendments made in 2023 allow the Government, until such appointments are made, to empower a Joint District Judge in each district to act as the Tribunal, and to appoint Senior Assistant Judges or Assistant Judges to hear suits transferred to them.[4] Those changes were aimed at the backlog that has long burdened the Tribunals.

Who may sue and when

Any person aggrieved by the final publication of the last revised record of rights may sue. The suit must be filed within one year of the date of final publication or of the establishment of the Tribunal, whichever is later. A suit filed after that year may still be admitted within one further year if the Tribunal is satisfied with the plaintiff's reasons for the delay.[4] After the second year the Tribunal route is closed, and the only remaining options are a civil suit on title or, for genuine clerical and fraud cases, the administrative route described below.

What the Tribunal can order

The Tribunal may declare the disputed record incorrect, direct the concerned office to correct it in accordance with its decision and make any other order it considers necessary. It must conclude the trial within 180 days of the date fixed for final hearing.[4] In practice the decree is sent to the Assistant Commissioner (Land) and the district record room so that the khatian is amended and mutation can follow.

The bar on civil courts

Within the territorial jurisdiction of a Tribunal, no civil court may entertain a suit arising from the final publication of the last revised record of rights.[6] A plaintiff who files an ordinary declaratory suit asking a civil court simply to declare a BS khatian wrong risks rejection of the plaint. The correct structure, where both record and title are in issue, is usually a Tribunal suit for correction and a civil suit for declaration of title, run in parallel and kept consistent.

Procedure and evidence before the Tribunal

The Tribunal exercises Civil Procedure Code powers to summon witnesses, compel production of documents, take evidence on affidavit, requisition public records and issue commissions, and its proceedings are judicial proceedings.[11] The High Court Division has directed that evidence should be received mainly on affidavit, with oral evidence recorded only in genuinely deserving cases.[10] That puts a premium on a well-organised documentary file from day one.

Appeals and the limits of the Tribunal after the 2025 judgment

A person aggrieved by a Tribunal judgment, decree or order may appeal to the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal within three months, and a late appeal may be admitted within the next three months if the delay is explained.[5] Since the 2023 amendment, the Appellate Tribunal is presided over by a District Judge, with Additional District Judges available to hear transferred appeals.[5]

Zahangir Alam v Ziaul Haque (2025)

In Md Zahangir Alam v Ziaul Haque, Civil Revision No 6034 of 2024, decided on 20 July 2025, the High Court Division considered a Chandpur suit that had passed through both Tribunals. It held that the Tribunals are not civil courts, that they cannot determine title or possession, and that the High Court Division has no jurisdiction to hear a civil revision under section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure against an Appellate Tribunal judgment.[10]

The court also gave directions to Tribunal judges. The SA khatian is to be treated as a settled past record and used as the baseline; a disputed BS entry must be traceable to the SA recorded owner, that owner's heirs or a transferee; entries that fail that test may be declared erroneous and corrected; the Tribunal cannot entertain a challenge to the correctness of the SA khatian itself; and a person whose title is threatened by an erroneous record, or who is aggrieved by the Appellate Tribunal, may bring a civil suit for title, possession or partition.[10]

What this means for strategy

The judgment sharpens three points. A Tribunal suit should be pleaded as a chain-of-record case, tracing every link from the SA recorded owner to the plaintiff. Plaintiffs should not expect the Supreme Court to rescue a weak Tribunal case on revision. And where the real dispute is about ownership, the civil suit is not an optional add-on but the main event, and its limitation period must be protected from the outset.

Administrative correction by the AC Land

Not every error needs a lawsuit, and the cheapest khatian correction Bangladesh offers after a survey is often administrative. Section 143 requires the Collector to maintain the record of rights by correcting clerical mistakes and recording changes on transfer, inheritance, subdivision and settlement.[7] In 2021 the Ministry of Land issued a circular instructing the Assistant Commissioner (Land) on correcting errors in finally published records, and rule 23 of the Tenancy Rules 1955 was amended by gazette notification of 12 August 2021.[7] [8]

Clerical mistakes: rule 23(3)

Under rule 23(3), a Revenue Officer may, on application or report, correct an apparent clerical mistake in the record after consulting the previous settlement records, preliminary rent-rolls, the Collector's copy of the record and Register II, and making any further enquiry needed. Corrected copies are then supplied to the parties.[7] Typical examples are misspelt names, a wrong father's name, a wrongly transcribed plot number or area, and arithmetic errors in shares, where the right entry is obvious from the underlying papers.

Fraudulent entries: rule 23(4)

Rule 23(4) allows the Revenue Officer, after final publication, to direct the excision of an entry procured by fraud, make the correct entry, mark the excised entry as fraudulent and update the copies held in the upazila and tahsil offices.[7] The power is treated as ministerial rather than adjudicative. It is useful where the fraud is plain from official records, such as a forged deed already found to be fraudulent by a court; it is not a substitute for a trial where the facts are genuinely contested.

How the application is made

The application is made to the AC Land as a miscellaneous case, on plain paper with a Tk 20 court fee, attaching the ownership documents, the previous khatian and a national identity card. The AC Land calls for a report from the Union Land Office, hears the parties and, if satisfied, orders correction. A routine case is generally completed within thirty to forty-five days.[8]

Bona fide mistakes and the limits of the route

Mistakes made in good faith that go beyond the clerical, for example where the recorded area or plot is wrong but the correct entry is not self-evident, sit in a separate category that requires a higher authority's order.[7] More importantly, the administrative route cannot resolve a contest over title or possession. If the other side disputes ownership, the AC Land should decline and the parties belong in the Tribunal or the civil court. Choosing the administrative route for a contested case only delays the inevitable and can run down the Tribunal's limitation period.

Correcting older records and civil suits for declaration

The Tribunal deals only with the last revised record. A wrong CS, SA or superseded RS entry cannot be taken to the Tribunal, and the High Court Division has made clear that an SA khatian cannot be corrected as such by any court because the former statutory route was removed in 1975.[10] The remedy where an older record threatens title is a civil suit for declaration of title, with consequential relief such as recovery of possession, cancellation of a deed or partition.

Framing the declaratory suit

The plaint should seek a declaration of title and, where the plaintiff is out of possession, recovery of possession, because a court will not grant a bare declaration where further relief was available and not claimed. It should plead the chain of title, explain how the erroneous entry arose and ask for a direction that the record be brought into line with the decree. Our guide to land dispute litigation in Bangladesh covers the conduct of title suits.

Limitation for civil suits

A declaratory suit without a specific article falls under Article 120 of the First Schedule to the Limitation Act 1908, with a six-year period running from when the right to sue accrues. Suits for possession of immovable property are generally governed by twelve-year periods under Articles 142 and 144.[13] When the right to sue on a wrong entry accrues is frequently contested, so the safest course is to treat the clock as running from the date the entry is published or first asserted against the owner.

Online records: e-porcha and certified copies

Every khatian correction Bangladesh case starts with certified copies of the records. Certified khatians and mouza maps can be ordered online through eporcha.gov.bd, which shows the application status on the applicant's dashboard and offers courier delivery. In 2023 the khatian was due within ten days, at Tk 50 for the certified copy plus Tk 40 for courier delivery, though reporting at the time showed serious backlogs in Dhaka and Narayanganj.[12] Check the current fee and timeline on the portal before relying on them.

Older CS, SA and RS records

Where an older record is not available online, apply to the record room at the Deputy Commissioner's office, citing the mouza and khatian numbers.[8] Keep in mind that an online printout is useful for research but a certified copy is what a Tribunal, court or AC Land will expect to see on the file.

Reading the record before acting

Compare the khatians for the same plot across every survey, check the dag numbers against the mouza maps, and trace each change of name to a deed, inheritance or decree. This exercise, which is also the core of land ownership verification and due diligence, usually reveals whether the problem is clerical, a missed mutation, or a genuine adverse entry that needs litigation.

Evidence that wins khatian correction Bangladesh cases

Because the record carries a statutory presumption of correctness, the party seeking correction carries the burden of disproving it with evidence.[3] The strongest files contain:

• The full chain of record: certified CS, SA, RS and BS khatians for the plot, showing how the entry moved from survey to survey.
• Registered title documents: certified copies of sale, gift, heba and partition deeds, with the registration particulars legible.
• Succession papers: death certificates, a warisan or heirship certificate and, where relevant, a succession certificate, matched to the shares under the applicable personal law. Our guide to inheritance law in Bangladesh explains how shares are calculated.
• Mutation and tax records: mutation khatians, DCRs and land development tax receipts showing continuous recorded possession.
• Survey-stage papers: copies of any rule 30 objection or rule 31 appeal and the orders on them.
• Possession evidence: affidavits of neighbours, local commissioner reports and photographs of structures or cultivation.
• Court records: earlier decrees, orders and judgments on the same land.

The Tribunal's limited role shapes how this evidence is used. The question is whether the entry follows lawfully from the earlier record and the intervening transactions, not who has the better claim to title in the abstract.[10]

Step by step: how a khatian correction case is run

The sequence below reflects how we prepare a khatian correction Bangladesh matter, whatever the forum.

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Throughout, keep the possible routes in view at the same time. An administrative application that stalls should not be allowed to run past the Tribunal's limitation date, and a Tribunal suit should not be filed without considering whether a parallel civil suit is needed to protect title.

Choosing the right forum: a comparison

The table below compares the routes for khatian correction Bangladesh law makes available. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Who decides what is set out below.

The role of a khatian correction lawyer

A competent khatian correction lawyer adds value in four places. First, diagnosis: identifying which record is the last revised record for the mouza, whether the survey is still open, and whether the error is clerical, fraud-based, a missed mutation or a genuine adverse claim. Second, deadlines: calendaring the rule 30 publication period, the Tribunal's one-year window and its one-year extension, the three-month appeal period and the civil limitation periods. Third, evidence: assembling certified records and building the chain from the SA khatian onwards. Fourth, coordination: running the Tribunal suit, the civil suit and any mutation or criminal complaint so that the pleadings and evidence are consistent.

TRW's land records, mutation and khatian correction practice handles survey objections and appeals, AC Land applications, Land Survey Tribunal suits and appeals, and the related declaratory suits, including for overseas owners who cannot attend hearings in person.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Ignoring the survey: missing attestation and the draft publication period, then trying to fix in court what could have been fixed with an objection.
• Waiting for mutation to solve it: mutation updates the record after a transfer or death, but it does not overturn a finally published survey entry that someone else disputes.
• Using the wrong forum: filing a civil declaratory suit to correct a BS khatian in a Tribunal area, or asking the Tribunal to declare title.
• Missing the second year: the extension year is discretionary, so a plaintiff relying on it must explain the delay with evidence.
• Photocopies instead of certified copies: correction cases are decided on official records.
• Paying unofficial fees: allegations of payments demanded to correct survey errors are common; insist on written applications, receipts and reasoned orders.

What is changing in 2025 and 2026

Three developments shape khatian correction Bangladesh practice in 2026. First, the 2023 amendments to Chapter XVIIA are now bedding in, with District Judges hearing appeals and Assistant Judges taking transferred suits, which should gradually shorten the Tribunal queue.[4] [5] Second, the July 2025 High Court Division judgment has narrowed the Tribunals to a record-tracing exercise and confirmed that their decisions are not open to civil revision.[10]

Third, the digital survey is creating new records, and new disputes. In June and July 2026 landowners in Amtali, Barguna, protested alleged irregularities in the digital survey, including land recorded in the wrong names and single records split into several; the Assistant Settlement Officer denied the allegations and the upazila administration said they would be investigated.[14] Owners in areas under the digital survey should treat attestation and draft publication as their main opportunity to get the record right and should file rule 30 objections promptly. For anyone holding land whose record is wrong, the message is the same as ever: act early, in the right forum, with certified documents. If you want a clear view of your options, contact TRW.

Frequently asked questions

What is khatian correction in Bangladesh?

It is the process of changing an entry in the record of rights so that it reflects the correct owner, share, plot or area. Depending on the error and the stage of the survey, it is done by objection and appeal during the survey, by a Land Survey Tribunal suit after final publication, or by administrative correction before the AC Land.[2] [4] [7]

What is the difference between CS, SA, RS and BS khatians?

They are records from successive surveys: the Cadastral Survey under the Bengal Tenancy Act 1885, the State Acquisition record under the 1950 Act, the Revisional Survey, and the current Bangladesh Survey. Only the last revised record for an area can be challenged in the Land Survey Tribunal.[9] [4]

How long do I have to file in the Land Survey Tribunal?

One year from final publication of the last revised record or from the establishment of the Tribunal, whichever is later. A further year is available if the Tribunal accepts the reasons for delay.[4]

Can the Land Survey Tribunal declare that I own the land?

No. The Tribunal can declare the record incorrect and order its correction, but the High Court Division held in 2025 that it cannot determine title or possession. Title must be declared by a civil court.[4] [10]

How do I object during a land survey?

Attend attestation with your documents, then file an objection under rule 30 while the draft record is published, which lasts at least thirty days. If the objection fails, appeal under rule 31 before final publication.[9]

Can the AC Land correct a mistake in my khatian?

Yes, for clerical mistakes under rule 23(3) and for entries procured by fraud under rule 23(4) of the Tenancy Rules 1955. The AC Land cannot resolve a genuine dispute over title.[7]

What does an AC Land correction application cost and how long does it take?

The application is made on plain paper with a Tk 20 court fee, and a routine case is generally completed within thirty to forty-five days after a Union Land Office report and hearing.[8]

Can I appeal a Tribunal decision on my khatian?

Yes, to the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal within three months, with a further three months if the delay is explained. The High Court Division has held that a civil revision does not lie against the appellate decision.[5] [10]

How do I get a certified khatian online?

Apply through eporcha.gov.bd, track the application on the dashboard and choose collection or courier delivery. Older records can be obtained from the Deputy Commissioner's record room.[8] [12]

Does a wrong khatian mean I have lost my land?

No. A khatian is evidence that is presumed correct until disproved, not a document of title. But the error makes sale, mortgage and defence of possession harder, so it should be corrected promptly.[3]