Inherited an Old Plot in Karnataka You Can't Locate — Survey Number Under a Court Stay? How RTI Traces It

Note: Karnataka has no “Section 22A” prohibited list (that is a Telangana/AP mechanism). Here the block comes from a court-stay entry in the RTC, or from a PTCL restriction on granted land. An RTI does not lift the stay or run the survey — it gets the records that make both possible.

RTI Facts at a Glance

Fee mode and exact copying charges can vary; the RTI itself is a ₹10 statutory application. Outcomes depend on the records available and the facts of each case.

Is This Your Situation?

• A parent/grandparent bought Karnataka land decades ago, and you found the papers only after they passed away.
• You have the sale deed and EC, but cannot identify the exact location or boundaries on the ground.
• The RTC shows a court stay in Column 11 (Liabilities), and the Sub-Registrar will not register.
• There are court cases on the survey number, and you cannot tell whether your plot is involved.
• The land may be granted land under the PTCL Act, with transfer restrictions.
• Local agents could not trace the plot, and you fear it is gone.

This is common across the Bengaluru fringe — Devanahalli, Sarjapur, Whitefield, Hoskote, Nelamangala, Anekal and Doddaballapur.

How to Find the Exact Location of an Old Plot in Karnataka

1. Pull the official records by RTI — the survey-number history, the Tippani (field measurement record) and village map, and the basis of any RTC Column-11 stay or PTCL entry.
2. Separate your plot from the dispute — establish whether your specific plot is under the court stay, or whether the whole survey number was flagged.
3. Get a Mojini survey done — apply through Mojini V3 so the DDLR/ADLR surveyor measures and identifies your plot, plants the boundary stones (Kallu), and issues the sketch (11E).

Only the Survey & Land Records department holds the Tippani and conducts the survey — which is why local agents cannot do this.

The Court-Stay Trap (Karnataka)

When some plots in a survey number go to court, a stay order is noted in RTC Column 11, and the Sub-Registrar’s office (the Shirastedar’s check on Kaveri 2.0) then refuses registration of anything in that survey number — even a clean, unrelated plot. The fallout mirrors the prohibited-list problem in the Telugu states: the invisible plot, bureaucratic silence, and the illusion that your title is disputed when it may be entirely outside the court’s purview. The way out is to prove, from the records, that your plot falls outside the actual stay.

Step 1 — RTI on the Court-Stay / PTCL Entry

The first RTI targets the basis of the block. It asks for the court order behind the RTC Column-11 stay, the case number, and which specific plots/extent are under the stay — and, where relevant, whether the land is recorded as granted land under the PTCL Act. Very often only a few plots are under stay, while the whole survey number is treated as blocked.

Step 2 — Mojini Survey: Put Your Plot on the Map

The second move is a survey application through Mojini V3. The DDLR/ADLR surveyor measures the land against the Tippani and village map, identifies your plot within the survey number, and issues the sketch. For old or untraceable survey numbers, this is done as a re-survey. Our legal team ties the survey request to the deed, the EC and the RTI findings.

A Real-World Example (Illustrative)

This mirrors a real matter our team resolved in the Telugu states; the Karnataka playbook is the same. Heirs find a decades-old plot — deed and EC intact — but cannot locate it; the RTC carries a court stay and registration is refused. An RTI on the stay shows the court order covers only a few specific plots, not the whole survey number. A Mojini survey then identifies the plot against the Tippani — and the land is found. (Illustrative; outcomes depend on the records and the facts of each case.)

The Exact RTI Our In-House Legal Team Drafts

Prepared by our in-house legal team and addressed to the PIO of the Tahsildar / DDLR-ADLR (and the Sub-Registrar), this RTI asks only for records that already exist. You provide the survey number and your deed details; we draft and file it.

Full Sample RTI Application You Can Adapt

Prefer not to draft and chase it yourself? Our in-house legal team identifies the correct office, prepares this application precisely, files it, and tracks the reply.

Sample RTI Questions

1. Please provide the court order and case number behind the RTC Column-11 stay on Survey No. [____].
2. Please provide the specific plots/extent actually under the stay.
3. Please state whether my plot under document No. [____] is part of any case.
4. Please provide the Tippani/boundary records and the Mojini survey procedure.

What a Useful Reply Should Contain

A proper reply should give the court order, the case number, the extent under stay, whether your plot is involved, any PTCL status, and the Tippani. A bare "survey number is under stay" without the order or the extent likely needs a First Appeal — and is itself evidence of over-inclusion.

After You Get the Reply — What to Do Next

• Only some plots under stay: place the disclosed order before the Sub-Registrar/court to show your plot is outside it.
• Plot still untraced: file the Mojini survey application with the Tippani to physically identify it.
• Succession stuck: pursue mutation on Bhoomi once the plot is identified and separated from the dispute.
• No reply in 30 days: First Appeal under Section 19(1), then Second Appeal to the Karnataka Information Commission.

Related Guides

• Trace an inherited plot you cannot locate (all-India guide)
• The same problem in Telangana (the original case)
• RTC not available / survey number missing on Bhoomi
• Mutation (MR) pending on Bhoomi

Likely Public Authority

The RTI usually goes to the PIO of the Tahsildar and the DDLR/ADLR (Survey & Land Records), and the Sub-Registrar; the Deputy Commissioner’s office may hold the court order and related records. Appeals are under the RTI Act, with the Karnataka Information Commission as the final appellate authority.

What RTI Can and Cannot Do

RTI can: get the court order behind the RTC stay, the extent under stay, any PTCL status, whether your plot is involved, and the Tippani. RTI cannot: by itself lift the stay, run the survey, or complete succession — but it is the record that makes the survey and the registration possible. The Mojini survey is a separate application, which we help you file.

Common Questions

I have the sale deed and EC but cannot find my plot in Karnataka. Can RTI help?

Yes — an RTI gets the Tippani/survey records and the court-stay basis, and a Mojini survey application physically identifies the plot. Only the Survey & Land Records department holds the Tippani.

How do I find the exact location of an old plot in Karnataka?

Pull the Tippani and survey records by RTI, separate your plot from the court stay, then apply through Mojini V3 so the DDLR/ADLR surveyor identifies it and issues the sketch.

The RTC shows a court stay on the whole survey number. Is my plot disputed?

Not necessarily. An RTI for the court order and the plots actually under stay often shows only a few plots are involved — the basis to show your plot is outside it.

Is this the same as the 22A prohibited list in Telangana?

No — Karnataka has no Section 22A. The block here is a court-stay entry in RTC Column 11, or a PTCL restriction on granted land. The method to locate and free your plot is the same.

Is the Mojini survey an RTI?

No — it is a separate survey application through Mojini V3. Our legal team drafts it alongside the RTI so both work together.

What does it cost?

₹10 government fee for the RTI (BPL exempt); our service from ₹399.

What if the office does not reply?

We draft your First Appeal free of charge if the department misses the 30-day deadline.

Documents to Keep Ready

• Original registered sale deed
• Encumbrance Certificate (EC)
• RTC (Pahani), if any
• The deceased owner’s death certificate
• Legal-heir / family details
• Survey number, village, hobli and taluk
• Approximate year of purchase
• Any case numbers or RTC Column-11 stay reference