In Karnataka the first paper anyone asks for is the RTC, short for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, and also called the Pahani. As the full name suggests, it puts three things on one page: who holds the land, whether anyone cultivates it as a tenant, and what is grown on it.
What the document is and who keeps it
The Glossary of Revenue Terms published by the Department of Land Resources names Karnataka’s record as RTC-Pahani, with 28 fields — the most of any state — kept in Kannada. The records are maintained at village level by the village accountant, under the tahsildar of the taluk, and have been computerised for many years under the state’s Bhoomi programme.
Our source does not give the official labels for the plot number and the holder account in Karnataka. We have not filled them in from elsewhere. The descriptions below use the terms buyers commonly meet, and you should read the labels printed on your own copy.
How to read it, part by part
With 28 fields and more than one print format in circulation, read by what each block says rather than by column number.
- District, taluk, hobli, village. Confirm all of them. Survey numbers repeat from village to village.
- Survey number and sub-division. The plot, usually with a hissa (sub-division) number. Match it exactly to the sale papers. Our note on survey numbers and khasra numbers explains sub-division numbering.
- Extent and kharab. The total extent of the survey number, usually in acres and guntas, and kharab, the part recorded as not cultivable, shown separately. Buyers often read only the total. The cultivable figure may be smaller.
- Land revenue and soil or land type. The revenue assessed and the kind of land. Neither is a valuation.
- Holders and their extents. Each recorded holder, the extent against their name and the account (khata) number. Each entry usually carries a reference to the mutation that made it. Follow those references back.
- Rights and liabilities. Loans from banks or co-operative societies, charges, and other claims on the land. An entry here must be cleared or accounted for in the sale.
- Tenancy. Whether anyone is recorded as cultivating the land as a tenant. A recorded tenant can have rights that survive a sale.
- Crops and irrigation. What was grown, over what extent, in which season, and the source of irrigation. It shows how the land has actually been used.
Read the mutation register too. The RTC shows the present state of the record. The mutation register shows how it got there. A recent change of holder with no clear mutation behind it is a question to put to the tahsildar’s office before any advance changes hands.
What it does not prove
The RTC is a revenue record. It exists so that the state knows whose name a holding stands in, what it is classified as and what is grown on it. Indian courts have long treated entries of this kind as records kept for fiscal purposes rather than as documents of title. A name on the extract is strong evidence of who the revenue office recognises today; it is not, on its own, proof that the person can give you clean title.
Before you rely on it, put these next to it:
- Mutation history. Ask for the mutation entries that brought the land to the present holder, and read each one. A name that appears without a mutation behind it is a question, not an answer.
- Encumbrance certificate. Obtain it from the sub-registrar for a long enough period to cover the chain of sales. Mortgages and agreements registered with the sub-registrar do not always reach the revenue record.
- Registered deeds. The sale deeds, partition deeds, gift deeds or settlement deeds that make up the chain of title. The revenue record should follow these, not the other way round.
- Conversion status. The RTC records agricultural land. If the seller says the land is converted, ask for the conversion order itself.
- The survey sketch. The RTC gives extents; the sketch shows boundaries. Walk them with the sketch in hand.
Our guide to land fraud red flags lists the patterns that show up when a revenue extract and the deeds do not agree.
Where to get a copy
The Department of Land Resources now lists this portal for Karnataka, not the older Bhoomi address still in wide circulation. Type it in yourself.
- Karnataka:
rdservices.karnataka.gov.in
For a transaction, ask the tahsildar’s office what certified form is needed. Our verify land records page tracks portal changes.
हिंदी में
कर्नाटक में ज़मीन का मुख्य रिकॉर्ड आरटीसी है, जिसे पहणी भी कहते हैं — इसका पूरा नाम है अधिकार, किरायेदारी और फसल का अभिलेख। सबसे पहले ज़िला, तालुक और गाँव मिलाइए, फिर सर्वे नंबर और हिस्सा नंबर बिक्री के कागज़ों से मिलाइए। कुल क्षेत्रफल के साथ "खराब" यानी बंजर हिस्सा अलग लिखा होता है, इसलिए खेती लायक़ ज़मीन कम भी हो सकती है। हर धारक का नाम, उसका हिस्सा और खाता नंबर देखिए, और म्यूटेशन का हवाला पीछे तक जाँचिए। कर्ज़ और देनदारी वाला हिस्सा, और किरायेदार का नाम — दोनों ध्यान से पढ़िए। आरटीसी राजस्व रिकॉर्ड है, मालिकाना हक़ का पक्का सबूत नहीं; रजिस्ट्री के दस्तावेज़ और ऋणभार प्रमाणपत्र भी देखिए।
This short section is a plain-language summary and has not been reviewed by a native-speaker lawyer. The English text is the reference.
ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತವಾಗಿ
ಪಹಣಿ ಅಥವಾ ಆರ್ಟಿಸಿ ಜಮೀನಿನ ಹಕ್ಕು, ಗೇಣಿ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಳೆಯ ದಾಖಲೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ವೆ ನಂಬರ್, ಹಿಸ್ಸಾ ನಂಬರ್, ಮಾಲೀಕರ ಹೆಸರು, ವಿಸ್ತೀರ್ಣ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಳೆಯ ವಿವರ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಖರಾಬು ಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಬೇರೆಯಾಗಿ ತೋರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪಹಣಿ ಮಾಲೀಕತ್ವದ ಅಂತಿಮ ಪುರಾವೆ ಅಲ್ಲ; ನೋಂದಾಯಿತ ಪತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಸಹ ನೋಡಿ.
- ಸರ್ವೆ ನಂಬರ್ — survey number
- ಹಿಸ್ಸಾ — sub-division
- ಖಾತೆ — holder account
- ಖರಾಬು — uncultivable area
- ಬೆಳೆ — crop
Common questions
What is an RTC in Karnataka?
RTC stands for Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops, also called Pahani. The Glossary of Revenue Terms names it RTC-Pahani, with 28 fields, the most of any state, kept in Kannada.
Is the RTC proof of ownership?
No. The RTC is a revenue record of whose name the land stands in and how it is used. Title rests on the registered deeds, so read the RTC with the mutation entries, the encumbrance certificate and the chain of deeds.
Where do I get an RTC now?
The Department of Land Resources now lists rdservices.karnataka.gov.in for Karnataka, not the Bhoomi address that is still widely circulated.
What does kharab mean on an RTC?
Kharab is the part of the survey number recorded as not cultivable. It is shown separately from the cultivable extent, so the headline area of a survey number may be more than the area you can farm or build on.
Related guides on AgriZameen
- How to read land documents — the full series
- Land records by state — what each state calls its record
- Verify land records — the official portals, state by state
- Khasra, survey number and plot number: the difference
- Karnataka state page
- Legal help — when to bring in an advocate
About this page. AgriZameen is an independent platform. It is not a government body and is not affiliated with any land-records department of any state or union territory. Record names, field counts and portal addresses on this page are taken from the Glossary of Revenue Terms and the Citizen Centric Services list published by the Department of Land Resources; anything those sources do not give, we have said so rather than filled in. Verify every entry on the official portal and with the office concerned before you rely on it. Nothing here is legal advice; for a transaction, have your own advocate read your own papers.