e-Swathu and e-Aasthi: khata for projects outside GBA limits

2.15.1 What is e-Swathu, and when does it apply to your project?

e-Swathu is the online property record system for land inside a gram panchayat in Karnataka. The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department runs it on eswathu.karnataka.gov.in, now called e-Swathu 2.0. It applies only to property inside a gram panchayat, the smallest unit of rural local government. Many new launches around Bangalore, on Sarjapur Road, in Hoskote, Devanahalli, Anekal or Kanakapura Road, sit partly or fully in a gram panchayat, outside the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits. The same land can also sit inside a Local Planning Area, so a separate planning authority such as BMRDA, BIAAPA or Anekal Planning Authority still approves the layout and building plan. Read the BDA, BMRDA, BIAAPA guide for that approval. e-Swathu only covers the property record, not the plan approval.

Three different khata systems operate in and around Bangalore today. Inside GBA limits, the record is the GBA e-Aasthi khata, covered in the e-khata guide. Other urban local bodies, such as a City Municipal Council or Town Municipal Council, use the state e-AASTHI Urban Property Management System at eaasthi.karnataka.gov.in. Gram panchayat land uses e-Swathu. The builder, not the buyer, usually knows which body the land falls under. Ask in writing before you book, because the khata form, the fee and the process differ by system.

System	Portal	Governing department	Area it covers
GBA e-Aasthi	gbaeaasthi.karnataka.gov.in	Greater Bengaluru Authority	Inside GBA limits
e-AASTHI Urban Property Management System	eaasthi.karnataka.gov.in	Urban Development Department, Karnataka Municipal Data Society	Other city and town municipal bodies
e-Swathu 2.0	eswathu.karnataka.gov.in	Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department	Gram panchayat areas

Sources: GBA e-Aasthi 2.0 portal, e-AASTHI Urban Property Management System and e-Swathu 2.0 portal, checked 12 October 2026.

2.15.2 What is Form 9 in e-Swathu?

Form 9 is the main property record form the e-Swathu portal issues once a property clears its khata process. The portal’s property search page lets a citizen search by choosing “Select Property Form” as “Form-9” or “Form-11B”, then entering the Property ID. The portal also runs a “Verify Documents” service where you enter a “Document No/Sakala No.(GSC Code)” to open a protected PDF of an issued form. Sachi did not find a page on the public portal that states, in a single sentence, the full legal definition of Form 9. Sachi’s reading: the portal’s search structure places Form 9 as the record a property holds once its khata is complete and approved, similar in role to a Final e-khata on the GBA system.

A citizen applies for and tracks a Form 9 through the e-Swathu citizen login, with options for “New eKhata status based on ePID” and “Final eKhata status based on ePID”. The property first gets a Property ID (ePID), the same kind of identifier the GBA system uses. The e-khata guide explains how an ePID works on the GBA side. On e-Swathu, you need the same ePID to search, verify or download a Form 9.

Step for a Form 9 (e-Swathu portal structure)	Where
Apply for new eKhata	Citizen login, eKhata services
Track new eKhata status	“New eKhata status based on ePID”
Track final eKhata status	“Final eKhata status based on ePID”
Search an issued Form 9 or Form 11B	“Issue of Form 9” public search, by Property ID
Verify a printed form	“Verify Documents”, by Document No. or Sakala No.

Source: e-Swathu 2.0 citizen portal, checked 12 October 2026.

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2.15.3 What is Form 11A and Form 11B, and what do they mean for a buyer?

Form 11A and Form 11B are the e-Swathu record types for a property that has not cleared the full Form 9 process. The portal’s live “District wise Form-11 Approved Report”, checked 12 October 2026, uses the column header “Form - 11A” and shows a count by district: a statewide total of 692 approved records, with Bengaluru South alone at 289 and Dakshina Kannada at 155. Separately, the property search page and the “Check Property Status” page both list “Form-11B” as a form type you can search by Property ID. The “Check Property Status” page also names conversion workflows: “Conversion 11B to 9 Details”, “Conversion 11B/9 to apt/blding/Villa Details” and “Conversion 11B Non transactable to transactable Details”. Sachi’s reading: these names show a Form 11B record can later convert to a Form 9, and can carry a transactable or non-transactable status, similar to the GBA Final e-khata.

Sachi did not find a single primary-source page that states, in plain words, the exact legal difference between Form 11A and Form 11B, or what triggers each one. The portal’s naming groups 11A and 11B as related but separate form types, both short of a full Form 9. Treat a Form 11A or Form 11B as a weaker record than a Form 9 until the builder or your own lawyer confirms otherwise in writing, with the conversion status shown on the portal.

Form type (e-Swathu portal)	What the portal shows
Form 9	The standard issued khata record; searchable, verifiable, has a Document No.
Form 11A	A separate record type, tracked in a statewide “Approved Report” by district
Form 11B	A record type with its own conversion path to Form 9, and its own transactable status

Source: e-Swathu 2.0 portal, checked 12 October 2026.

2.15.4 Who issues the e-Swathu khata, and what does the law say?

The Panchayat Development Officer carries the khata and property tax duties for a gram panchayat. Section 199 of the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993 (Karnataka Act 14 of 1993) lets every Grama Panchayat levy tax on buildings and lands based on capital value, inside its limits. Section 200(3) names the “Panchayat Development Officer” as the officer who serves the tax bill or demand notice, or an officer authorised by him. Section 201 lets an aggrieved person appeal an assessment, levy or tax under section 199 to the prescribed authority. The Act, as Sachi read it through the amendment marked up to Act 25 of 2021, does not use the words “Form 9”, “Form 11A” or “Form 11B”. Sachi’s reading: the forms are an administrative structure built on top of the Act’s tax and record-keeping sections, not a separate schedule in the Act itself.

A 2025 amendment added new duties that matter directly to a flat or plot buyer. The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Karnataka Act No. 27 of 2025), published in the Karnataka Gazette Extraordinary No. 219, Part IVA, dated 7 April 2025, inserted two new sections after section 199A.

Section (inserted 2025)	What it says
199B(1)	A Grama Panchayat needs prior approval of the layout plan by the jurisdictional Planning Authority before it issues a new PID or khata for a building site
199B(2)	Inside a notified Local Planning Area, the layout plan must come from that planning authority under section 17 of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, before a new PID or khata issues
199B(3)	Outside a Local Planning Area, the layout plan must come from the Director of Town and Country Planning, or an authorised officer, before a new PID or khata issues
199B, proviso	An officer who issues a new PID or khata to an “unlawfully formed plot” without following these steps is liable for a prescribed penalty
199C(1)	A Grama Panchayat may levy property tax on a building or vacant land, including one built against Model building bye-laws, on unconverted land, on converted land with an unapproved layout, or occupied without an OC or Completion Certificate, only for property created before this provision started. The proviso says paying this tax gives no right to regularise the violation, and no title, ownership or legal status
199C(2)	The Senior Panchayat Development Officer or Panchayat Development Officer maintains the record of lawful and unlawful buildings or vacant lands taxed under this section

Source: Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2025, checked 12 October 2026. Section 199C’s wording on “no right to regularize violation made, or title, ownership or legal status” closely matches the rule for an unauthorised building under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, covered in the A khata vs B khata guide. Sachi’s reading: the state is applying the same “tax without title” logic to gram panchayat land that it already applies inside GBA limits.

2.15.5 How do you check e-Swathu khata status and search a property?

You check e-Swathu status on eswathu.karnataka.gov.in, using the Property ID (ePID) of the land or flat. The homepage default language is Kannada; click “English” at the top right to switch. Under “Application Status”, the portal lists “Final eKhata status based on ePID”, “New eKhata status based on ePID” and “Check Property Status”. That last link opens a page covering Property Details, Mutation Details, Correction Details and the three conversion workflows named above. Under “Verification”, the portal lists “Verify Documents” and a check for registration eligibility. Under “Citizen Services”, “Download eKhata” lets you pull the issued record once approved. The portal also links to Kaveri (property registration), Bhoomi (the state land records, RTC and mutation system) and the Documents Management System. Do these checks before you pay any token amount or sign an agreement to sell, not after.

1. Open eswathu.karnataka.gov.in and click “English” at the top of the page.
2. Ask the builder for the Property ID (ePID) of the project land, or of your flat or plot once it has one.
3. Click “Check Property Status” under Application Status, and enter the Property ID.
4. Read the “Property Details” tab. Note the Status, Form Type and Property Type shown.
5. Check the “Conversion 11B to 9 Details” and “Conversion 11B Non transactable to transactable Details” tabs, if the Form Type reads 11B.
6. Click “Download eKhata” under Citizen Services to pull the issued Form 9, if approved.
7. Use “Verify Documents” with the Document No. or Sakala No. (GSC Code) to confirm a printed copy.
8. Before you pay the registration cost, open the RTC guide and cross-check the same survey number on the Bhoomi portal.

The portal does not publish a fee schedule or a processing time limit on its public pages in English. Sachi did not find these numbers on a primary source this session. Ask the Panchayat Development Officer’s office, or the builder, for the exact fee and timeline in writing before you pay.

2.15.6 How does e-Swathu compare with e-Aasthi inside GBA limits?

The GBA e-Aasthi and e-Swathu systems both run a Final khata, an ePID, a mutation process and a transactable or non-transactable status, under different departments and forms. Inside GBA limits, the Final e-khata is the document the sub-registrar checks before registering a sale. The e-khata guide explains how a draft e-khata becomes a Final e-khata, and how the GBA splits properties into an A khata and a B khata. On e-Swathu, the closest match is Form 9 against Form 11A or Form 11B, run by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. A third system, for other city or town municipal bodies, is the e-AASTHI Urban Property Management System. Its page, checked 12 October 2026, lists “Verify Issued Ekhata” with the text “Verify the details of FORM A or FORM B online”, run by the Urban Development Department and the Karnataka Municipal Data Society, helpline 7259585959.

Point	GBA e-Aasthi (inside GBA)	e-AASTHI Urban (other city/town bodies)	e-Swathu (gram panchayat)
Portal	gbaeaasthi.karnataka.gov.in	eaasthi.karnataka.gov.in	eswathu.karnataka.gov.in
Department	Greater Bengaluru Authority	Urban Development Department, KMDS	Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department
Compliant form	Final e-khata, A khata	FORM A	Form 9
Non-fully-compliant form	B khata	FORM B	Form 11A, Form 11B
Helpline	94806 83695	7259585959	Not published in English on the portal’s public pages, checked 12 October 2026

Sources: GBA e-Aasthi 2.0, e-AASTHI Urban Property Management System and e-Swathu 2.0 portals, all checked 12 October 2026.

2.15.7 What must a new-flat or plot buyer check before booking outside GBA limits?

Check the jurisdiction of the project land first, before any khata or plan document. Ask the builder in writing: is the land inside GBA, inside another city or town municipal body, or inside a gram panchayat? The answer decides which portal and which form apply. Then check the plan approval separately from the khata. Section 199B of the 2025 amendment makes a gram panchayat get the layout plan approved by the correct planning authority before it issues a new khata or PID. So a new khata on its own, without a matching plan approval, is not enough. Read the BDA, BMRDA, BIAAPA guide to find the right planning authority for the project’s exact location, and check the K-RERA project page for the Approving Authority field.

Check whether the land needed conversion from agricultural use. A gram panchayat area often starts as revenue land. The RTC guide explains how to check the DC conversion order and the RTC’s land type. If the land was never converted, or the layout was never approved, a Form 11A or Form 11B is the most the property can get, and section 199C’s proviso says paying tax on it gives no title or ownership. Sachi did not find a bank or RBI primary source stating whether banks lend against a Form 9, Form 11A or Form 11B khata, so this guide leaves that question open. Ask your lender in writing before you book.

Check	Where to check it	Red flag
Jurisdiction of the land	Builder, then the matching portal (GBA, e-AASTHI urban or e-Swathu)	Builder cannot say which body governs the land
Khata form	eswathu.karnataka.gov.in, “Check Property Status” by Property ID	Property shown only as Form 11A or Form 11B, with no Form 9 timeline
Layout plan approval	K-RERA Project Details tab, Approving Authority field	No plan approval matching the Form 9 or khata application
Land conversion	RTC on landrecords.karnataka.gov.in, DC conversion order	Land still shown as agricultural, with no conversion order
Bank loan on this khata	Your lender, in writing	Lender has no published rule for this khata type

Sources: e-Swathu 2.0 portal, Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act, 1993, and its 2025 amendment, all checked 12 October 2026.

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2.15.8 Does this matter for a resale flat too?

Yes. A resale buyer faces the same jurisdiction question: which khata system covers the land, and what form the property holds. The mutation after a resale, moving the khata into the new owner’s name, runs on the same portal that issued the original khata. On e-Swathu, a resale of a Form 9 property needs a mutation entry; the “Check Property Status” page’s “Mutation Details” tab shows this history by Property ID. A resale of a Form 11A or Form 11B property carries the same open conversion status forward, so the risk passes to the new owner unless the seller first converts it to Form 9. This guide focuses on a new flat or plot from a builder. A resale buyer should still ask the seller for the Property ID, the current Form type and the mutation history, in writing, before paying a token amount.

Sachi reads K-RERA filings for Bangalore-area projects. To check a project’s planning authority and land record before you book, Ask Sachi.