Inherited an Old Plot in Maharashtra You Can't Locate — Survey Under a Court Order or Restricted Tenure? How RTI Traces It

Note: Maharashtra has no “Section 22A” prohibited list (that is a Telangana/AP mechanism). Here a block comes from a court order / lis pendens under the registration rules, or from restricted tenure (Class II / Inam / Kul Kayda) needing Collector sanction. An RTI gets the records that make the survey and the registration 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 Maharashtra land decades ago, and you found the papers only after they passed away.
• You have the sale deed and 7/12, but cannot identify the exact location or boundaries on the ground.
• Registration is refused over a court order or lis pendens on the survey/gat number.
• The land is restricted tenure — Occupant Class II, Inam, or Kul Kayda — needing the Collector’s permission to transfer.
• There are court cases on the survey number, and you cannot tell whether your plot is involved.
• Local agents could not trace the plot, and you fear it is gone.

This is common across the Pune and Mumbai fringe — Hinjewadi, Wagholi, Wakad, Talegaon, Chakan, Panvel and Karjat.

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

1. Pull the official records by RTI — the survey/gat history, the TIPPAN (measurement sketch) and the map, and the exact reason for any block (court order / lis pendens / tenure class).
2. Separate your plot from the block — establish whether your plot is actually within the court order’s extent, or what tenure permission is required.
3. Get a DILR survey done — apply for a pot-hissa / city survey measurement so the DILR surveyor identifies your plot against the records and the Bhunaksha map.

Only the DILR / Land Records department holds the TIPPAN and conducts the survey — which is why local agents cannot do this.

The Court-Order / Restricted-Tenure Trap (Maharashtra)

Two distinct blocks trap honest heirs. A court order or registered lis pendens on the survey number leads the Sub-Registrar to refuse registration — and under Maharashtra’s registration rules a document violating a court order will not be registered — often for the whole survey number when only part is disputed. Separately, restricted-tenure lands (Occupant Class II, Inam Varg-6B, Kul Kayda) cannot be transferred without the Collector’s prior sanction, so registration is refused until that permission exists. Each needs a different fix — and the RTI tells you which one you face.

Step 1 — RTI on the Court Order / Lis Pendens / Tenure

The first RTI targets the basis of the refusal. It asks for the court order or lis-pendens notice and the extent it covers, the case number, and whether your plot is within it; and, if the block is tenure-based, the recorded tenure class (Class II / Inam / Kul Kayda) and the Collector-permission procedure. This separates "your plot is disputed" from "the whole survey number is flagged" or "you simply need a permission".

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

The second move is a survey application to the DILR for a pot-hissa or city survey measurement. The DILR surveyor measures the land against the TIPPAN and identifies your plot within the survey/gat number, fixing the boundaries. Our legal team ties the survey request to the deed, the 7/12 and the RTI findings.

A Real-World Example (Illustrative)

This mirrors a real matter our team resolved in the Telugu states; the Maharashtra playbook is the same. Heirs find a decades-old plot — deed and 7/12 intact — but cannot locate it; registration is refused over a court order on the survey number. An RTI on the refusal shows the court order covers only a part of the survey number, not the heirs’ plot. A DILR survey then identifies the plot against the TIPPAN — 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 Talathi/Tahsildar and the DILR (and the Sub-Registrar), this RTI asks only for records that already exist. You provide the survey/gat 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 / lis-pendens notice behind the refusal for Survey/Gat No. [____], with date.
2. Please provide the specific extent covered by the order, as opposed to the whole survey number.
3. Please state the recorded tenure class and the Collector-permission procedure, if applicable.
4. Please provide the TIPPAN/boundary records and the DILR survey procedure.

What a Useful Reply Should Contain

A proper reply should give the exact reason for the block, the order/notice and its extent, whether your plot is involved, any tenure class and permission route, and the TIPPAN. A bare "registration not allowed" without the order or the extent likely needs a First Appeal.

After You Get the Reply — What to Do Next

• Order covers only part: place the disclosed order before the Sub-Registrar/court to show your plot is outside it.
• Restricted tenure: apply for the Collector’s permission with the disclosed tenure record.
• Plot still untraced: file the DILR survey application with the TIPPAN to physically identify it.
• No reply in 30 days: First Appeal under Section 19(1), then Second Appeal to the Maharashtra State Information Commission.

Related Guides

• Trace an inherited plot you cannot locate (all-India guide)
• The same problem in Telangana (the original case)
• 7/12 not available / survey-gat missing on Mahabhulekh
• Varas (heirship) mutation pending on the 7/12

Likely Public Authority

The RTI usually goes to the PIO of the Talathi/Tahsildar and the DILR, and the Sub-Registrar; the Sub-Divisional Officer or Collectorate holds the court order, the tenure record and permission. Appeals are under the RTI Act, with the Maharashtra State Information Commission as the final appellate authority.

What RTI Can and Cannot Do

RTI can: get the court order / lis-pendens basis and its extent, the tenure class and permission route, whether your plot is involved, and the TIPPAN. RTI cannot: by itself lift the order, grant the permission, run the survey, or complete succession — but it is the record that makes the survey and the registration possible. The DILR survey is a separate application, which we help you file.

Common Questions

I have the sale deed and 7/12 but cannot find my plot in Maharashtra. Can RTI help?

Yes — an RTI gets the TIPPAN/survey records and the exact reason for the block, and a DILR survey application physically identifies the plot. Only the DILR holds the TIPPAN.

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

Pull the TIPPAN and survey records by RTI, separate your plot from the court order / tenure block, then apply for a DILR (pot-hissa / city) survey to identify it against the Bhunaksha map.

Registration is refused on a court order for the whole survey number. Is my plot disputed?

Not necessarily. An RTI for the order and the extent it covers often shows only part of the survey number is involved — the basis to show your plot is outside it.

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

No — Maharashtra has no Section 22A. A block here is a court order / lis pendens, or a restricted-tenure (Class II / Inam / Kul Kayda) requirement for Collector permission. The method to locate and free your plot is the same.

Is the DILR survey an RTI?

No — it is a separate survey application to the DILR. 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
• 7/12 extract and 8A, if any
• The deceased owner’s death certificate
• Legal-heir / family details
• Survey/Gat number, village and taluka
• Approximate year of purchase
• Any case numbers, lis-pendens or tenure-class reference