Mutation of Property
Updating municipal or land-revenue records (dakhil kharij) to the new owner's name after a sale, gift or inheritance — vital, but not proof of title.
Definition
Mutation — called 'dakhil kharij' in North India — is the process of recording a change of ownership in government land-revenue or municipal records after a property is sold, gifted, inherited or partitioned. Once mutation is done, property-tax bills and revenue records (such as the khatauni for agricultural land) are raised in the new owner's name.
It matters because registration of the sale deed alone does not update the revenue and municipal records. Until mutation is completed, the previous owner's name continues on tax rolls, which can create disputes, complicate utility and tax matters, and cause problems when you later sell — buyers and banks expect the revenue records to match the title documents.
The process is state- and property-specific: for urban property you apply to the municipal corporation (many, like Delhi's MCD, offer online mutation), and for agricultural land to the Tehsildar or revenue office, where a Patwari/Lekhpal verifies the entry before the mutation order is passed. Typical documents are the registered sale deed (or will/succession certificate for inheritance), property-tax receipts, identity proof, and often an indemnity bond and affidavit. Straightforward cases commonly take around 15-30 days, though it can be longer; fees vary widely by state — from free in some cities to a few hundred or, in some metros, up to about Rs 1,000.
The pitfall to remember: mutation is not proof of ownership. The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly held that a mutation entry is only for fiscal (revenue) purposes and neither creates nor extinguishes title. Ownership flows from the registered sale deed and title chain; mutation just aligns government records with that ownership — so do it promptly after every purchase or inheritance, but never rely on it as title.
Example
Six weeks after registering the sale deed, Ramesh completed mutation at the municipal office so that property-tax demands for the flat were finally raised in his name instead of the seller's.
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Sources
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