RTC and pahani: how to check the land record of a new project in Karnataka

2.13.1 What is an RTC, and what does pahani mean?

RTC stands for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops. It is the Karnataka Revenue Department’s record for one survey number of land, kept under Chapter XI, “Record of Rights”, of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 (sections 127 to 136). The Bhoomi portal, at landrecords.karnataka.gov.in, labels its main service “Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) Form 16”. “Pahani” is the common Kannada name for the same record, so you do not look for two different documents. The RTC exists at the survey-number level, not at the level of a flat or a khata. For a new project, this is the land record the builder or landowner’s title traces back to, before any apartment or villa is built. Checked on 12 October 2026, the Bhoomi homepage lists “View RTC and MR” as its first citizen service, confirming that RTC and the Mutation Register (MR) sit together on one portal.

A buyer deals with the RTC through the land under the project, not through a document in their own name. You check it to confirm who the law shows as holding rights in that land, then compare that name with the seller in the title deed or joint development agreement. An RTC also shows the extent in acres and guntas, the land type (agricultural or converted) and a liabilities column for loans, government dues or court attachments. That liabilities column is separate from the Sub-Registrar’s encumbrance certificate, so check both.

Term or detail	What it means or shows
RTC / pahani	One survey number’s revenue record: owner, extent, land type, liabilities
Mutation Register (MR)	The log of ownership changes on a survey number
11E sketch	A survey sketch needed before some mutations
What to match	Owner name and extent against the title deed or JDA; land type against any DC conversion order

2.13.2 How do you view or download the RTC online?

You view the RTC free on the Bhoomi “Select Survey Number” page, and you download a digitally signed copy through the separate, paid i-RTC service. On landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service2/, you fill in the district, taluk, hobli, village and survey number, then the surnoc, hissa number, period and year, and the result shows a “Details” section for that survey number. For a signed copy, the portal links to i-RTC at rtc.karnataka.gov.in/Service78/. Checked on 12 October 2026, that page needed a password and an OTP login, under a rule the portal dates to 23 June 2025 requiring EKYC and two-step login for every i-RTC account. Its “Pahani ONLINE” service states you can “print original RTC ONLINE by paying ₹10 per RTC”. The Bhoomi homepage also lists a separate “RTC xml verification” service, so you can check a printed RTC against its own reference number before you rely on it.

1. Open landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service2/ for the free, on-screen “View RTC and MR”.
2. Pick the district, taluk, hobli and village of the project land. Ask the builder for these if your K-RERA page does not state them.
3. Enter the survey number, then pick the surnoc and hissa number if the survey number is split, and the period and year.
4. For a signed, payable copy, go to rtc.karnataka.gov.in/Service78/, log in with EKYC and OTP, and use “Pahani ONLINE” (₹10 per RTC, checked 12 October 2026).
5. Use the portal’s RTC xml verification service to check a printed RTC against the reference number on it.

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2.13.3 How do you check mutation, and what is the 11E sketch?

The mutation register (MR) is the Bhoomi log of each change of rights on a survey number, and it is what proves an RTC’s owner name is current. Under section 128 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, a buyer, heir or other person acquiring a right must report it within three months, and section 129 requires the officer to enter that report in the Register of Mutations. A “Bhoomi online mutation services” page lets an owner apply online for a khata or mutation change after a sale or inheritance; checked on 12 October 2026, the portal describes this as “Citizen can apply for khatha change online.” Match the mutation history against every sale in the chain of title. If a registered sale deed exists but the RTC still shows the earlier owner, the mutation has not gone through. An 11E sketch is a survey sketch the Survey, Settlement and Land Records (SSLR) department issues before some mutations, when a survey number is split or land changes use.

The Mojini portal (bhoomojini.karnataka.gov.in), run by the Bhoomi Monitoring Cell for SSLR, lists the 11E sketch alongside alienation and podi sketches, viewable online or available by paid application. Checked on 12 October 2026, the portal’s Kannada label for 11E translates to “pre-mutation sketch” (ಪ್ರಿ-ಮ್ಯುಟೇಶನ್ ನಕಾಶೆ). This matches how a surveyor uses it: fixing new boundaries on paper before the mutation entry is made, so the RTC’s extent stays correct after a split or a change of use. You do not apply for an 11E sketch yourself for a new project. Ask the builder whether one was issued for the project’s survey numbers, and ask to see it next to the RTC and mutation entry it supports.

Tool	What it shows	Where
Mutation status / MR	Whether a name change is pending or complete for a survey number	landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service40
Online mutation application	The route to update the RTC owner name after a sale	Bhoomi online mutation services
11E sketch	Boundaries fixed before a split, alienation or podi mutation	bhoomojini.karnataka.gov.in

2.13.4 What does the Dishank (Dishaank) app show, and what are its limits?

Dishaank, listed on Google Play under the package com.ksrsac.sslr, is a mobile app published by the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC). Checked on 12 October 2026, its listing says it lets you find a survey number, land ownership details and RTC information for any spot in Karnataka using your phone’s GPS, on an interactive map. The app is linked from the Bhoomi homepage, so it sits alongside the RTC and mutation services as a citizen tool from the same state land-records system.

The listing also carries a disclaimer: the information in Dishaank “is for reference and informational purposes only” and “should not be considered legally valid for ownership verification or boundary confirmation.” Sachi’s reading: treat a Dishaank result as a lead to check, not proof. Confirm the survey number it shows against the builder’s statement, then do the real ownership, extent and conversion check on the Bhoomi RTC, mutation and land-conversion portals, and on the K-RERA Land Details tab.

2.13.5 How does the RTC connect to DC conversion, and how is it different from khata?

DC conversion is the Deputy Commissioner’s order that changes land from agricultural to non-agricultural use, and a converted survey number should show that change on its RTC. Rule 3(1)(e) of the Karnataka Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017 asks a builder to give K-RERA the “order of conversion of land,” if applicable, under section 95 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. So K-RERA’s own filing rules expect a conversion order for land that needed one. On landconversion.karnataka.gov.in, the “ALC Transaction Report” lets you search conversion requests by survey number, district, taluk, hobli and village, and its “download the final conversion orders” service is open to anyone, checked 12 October 2026. Match the RTC’s land-type column, the conversion order’s survey number and date, and the planning approval on the BDA, BMRDA or BIAAPA page.

RTC and khata are different records from different departments. The RTC is the Revenue Department’s land record on Bhoomi, for land assessed for land revenue, agricultural or converted. Khata is the city body’s property-tax and ownership account; inside the Greater Bengaluru Area, this is the e-khata guide’s GBA e-Aasthi record. Sachi’s reading: no single portal states this distinction in one place. A flat gets its own khata only after the Occupancy Certificate, while the land under it can carry a longer history on the RTC and mutation register.

Check	Where	What it should show
DC conversion order	landconversion.karnataka.gov.in, ALC Transaction Report	Survey number and date matching the RTC
RTC land-type column	landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service2/	Converted use, not agricultural, after the order
RTC vs. khata	Bhoomi (RTC) vs. GBA e-Aasthi (khata)	RTC covers the land; khata covers the flat, only after OC

2.13.6 What should a new-home buyer check, and what are the red flags?

Check the RTC, mutation register, 11E sketch (if one applies) and DC conversion order for every survey number the project sits on, before you pay the booking amount. Start with the survey numbers on the K-RERA Land Details or Uploaded Documents tab, then open the RTC and mutation on landrecords.karnataka.gov.in for each one. Match the owner name, extent and land type against the title deed or JDA and the conversion order. A builder with clean land papers can produce every document below without delay, since each one already sits on a free government portal. Ask the builder in writing for any document you cannot find on a government portal, and treat a slow or vague answer as a reason to look closer before you book.

1. Get every survey number for the project from the K-RERA page or the builder.
2. Open the RTC for each survey number on landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service2/.
3. Check the mutation register and status for each survey number on landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service40.
4. If the land was agricultural, check the DC conversion order on landconversion.karnataka.gov.in and compare its date and survey number to the RTC’s land-type entry.
5. Ask the builder whether an 11E sketch was issued for any split or alienated survey number, and ask to see it.
6. Compare every name, extent and survey number across the RTC, the title deed, the JDA and your agreement for sale.
7. If you want a signed copy for your lawyer, get it through i-RTC on rtc.karnataka.gov.in/Service78/.

Only flag a restriction you can confirm on a primary source for that project. Terms such as “government land”, “inam” or “PTCL” restriction are real categories under Karnataka land law, but this guide did not open a primary source naming them for a specific project. Do not assume they apply unless the RTC, the conversion order or the builder’s own filing states it.

Red flag	Where you would see it
Land still shows as agricultural, no conversion order	RTC land-type column, landconversion.karnataka.gov.in
Owner name mismatch	RTC vs. title deed or JDA
Mutation pending on a registered sale	landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service40
No 11E sketch for split land	Ask the builder; Mojini portal
Any stated restriction (only if confirmed)	The specific government order or K-RERA filing naming it

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2.13.7 Does this matter for a resale buyer too?

Mostly yes, but mainly for an independent house or a plot, not for a flat. A resale flat buyer checks the seller’s registered sale deed, the khata transfer into the seller’s name and the EC, and rarely needs the land’s RTC once the building has its own khata. A resale buyer of an independent house or a plot, where the underlying land may still carry an RTC or a recent conversion history, should run the same RTC, mutation and conversion checks in this guide before registering the sale deed. Sachi’s guide covers new-home buyers only; resale guidance is coming soon.

Sachi reads the land files that builders upload to K-RERA for Bangalore-area projects, including RTC, mutation and conversion order documents where a project has them. To get the survey numbers and land files for a specific project, Ask Sachi.