Inherited an Old Plot in Andhra Pradesh You Can't Locate — Survey Number in the 22A Prohibited List? How RTI Traces It

An RTI does not by itself demarcate the land or lift the prohibition. It exposes the over-inclusion and forces the records into the open — which is what makes the survey, the de-listing and the succession 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?

This page is for you if one or more of these is true:

• A parent or grandparent bought land in AP 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 of the plot on the ground.
• The survey number is in the Section 22A prohibited list on IGRS AP, and offices refuse to act.
• There are court cases on the survey number, and you cannot tell whether your plot is even involved.
• The SRO or revenue office gives no clear answer on succession or mutation.

This is common across the Amaravati capital region and the Vijayawada–Guntur–Mangalagiri–Tadepalli belt, and around Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, where land values rose sharply and heirs suddenly discover old purchases.

How to Find the Exact Location of an Old Plot in Andhra Pradesh

When a plot was bought decades ago and described only by a survey number and boundaries that may no longer exist physically, finding it is a records problem, not guesswork. The reliable path:

1. Pull the official records by RTI — the survey-number history, the Field Measurement Book (FMB), and (if flagged) the 22A prohibition basis and court orders.
2. Separate your plot from any litigation — establish whether your specific plot is part of a court case or whether the whole survey number was simply prohibited.
3. Get an official survey done — a survey/localization application makes the Mandal Surveyor physically measure and identify your plot against the FMB and the records on Meebhoomi/Webland.

This is what local agents cannot do, because only the revenue department holds the FMB and conducts the survey.

The "Blanket Prohibition" Trap (22A in Andhra Pradesh)

Section 22A of the Registration Act empowers the AP government to keep certain properties — government, assigned, endowment, and court-disputed lands — in a prohibited list, checkable on IGRS AP by survey number. The trap: when some plots in a survey number go to court, the department frequently flags the entire survey number rather than only the litigated extent. The fallout:

• The invisible plot: without official demarcation, finding a plot in a large, flagged survey number is nearly impossible.
• Bureaucratic silence: SRO and revenue staff turn away anyone whose survey number shows a 22A flag, even for a clean title.
• The litigation illusion: owners are led to believe their plot is disputed, when their individual title may be entirely outside the court’s purview.

The way out is to prove, from the records, that your plot falls outside the actual dispute.

Step 1 — RTI on the 22A Prohibition

The first RTI targets the basis of the prohibition. It asks the revenue authority for the court order(s) relied on, the case numbers, and crucially which specific plots / extent within the survey number are actually the subject of litigation. Very often the answer reveals that only a few plots are litigated, yet the entire survey number was placed in the 22A list — the over-inclusion you can then challenge. It also tells you whether your plot is part of any case at all.

Step 2 — Survey / Localization Application: Put Your Plot on the Map

The second move is not an RTI but a formal application to the revenue department for a survey and localization. The Mandal Surveyor measures and identifies the plot against the FMB and the survey records, fixing where your plot sits within the survey number. This is what physically traces a plot agents could not find. Our legal team’s drafting ties the survey request to the deed, the EC and the RTI findings, so the request is precise and hard to ignore.

A Real-World Example (Illustrative)

This mirrors a real matter our team resolved in the neighbouring state, and the AP playbook is the same. Heirs find a decades-old plot — deed and EC intact — but cannot locate the land; the offices are unresponsive, the survey number is wholly in the 22A list, and several court cases sit on it. An RTI on the prohibition shows the court ordered prohibition for only a few specific plots, while the department kept the entire survey number in the list. A survey application then has the Mandal Surveyor identify the plot against the FMB — 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/MRO (and Sub-Registrar where the 22A entry sits), this RTI asks only for records that already exist. You provide the survey number and your deed details; we identify the offices, 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 22A listing entry and the court order(s) relied on for Survey No. [____], with case numbers.
2. Please provide the specific plots/extent actually under litigation within the survey number.
3. Please state whether my plot under document No. [____] is part of any case.
4. Please provide the FMB/boundary records for the survey number and the de-listing procedure for a non-litigated plot.

What a Useful Reply Should Contain

A proper reply should give the listing entry, the court order(s) and case numbers, the litigated extent, whether your plot is involved, and the FMB/boundary records. A bare "survey number is prohibited" without the order or the litigated 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 litigated: apply to the competent authority (RDO / Collector / CCLA) to remove your non-litigated plot/extent from the 22A list, citing the disclosed order.
• Plot still untraced: file the survey/localization application with the FMB records to physically identify it.
• Succession stuck: pursue mutation/succession on Meebhoomi once the plot is identified and the wrongful prohibition is addressed.
• No reply in 30 days: First Appeal under Section 19(1), then Second Appeal to the Andhra Pradesh State Information Commission.

Related Guides

• The same problem in Telangana (the original case)
• Land or survey number missing from Meebhoomi
• Mutation / succession pending on Meebhoomi
• Resurvey (Bhu Hakku) discrepancy in AP

Likely Public Authority

The RTI usually goes to the PIO of the Tahsildar/Mandal Revenue Office and the Sub-Registrar; the RDO, the District Collectorate / CCLA AP, and the Survey & Land Records office may hold the court order, the 22A basis and the FMB. Appeals are under the RTI Act, with the Andhra Pradesh State Information Commission as the final appellate authority.

What RTI Can and Cannot Do

RTI can: get the 22A prohibition basis, the court order and litigated extent, confirm whether your plot is involved, and the FMB/boundary records. RTI cannot: by itself demarcate the plot, lift the prohibition, or complete succession — but it is the record that makes the survey, the de-listing and the succession possible. The survey/localization is a separate revenue application, which we help you file.

Common Questions

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

Yes — an RTI gets the survey/FMB and 22A records, and a separate survey/localization application to the revenue department physically identifies the plot. Local agents cannot do this — only the revenue department holds the FMB.

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

Pull the FMB and survey records by RTI, separate your plot from any litigation, then file a survey/localization application so the Mandal Surveyor physically identifies it against the records on Meebhoomi/Webland.

The whole survey number is in the 22A list, but I think only some plots are litigated. What do I do?

File an RTI for the court order and the specific litigated plots/extent. It often shows the whole survey number was prohibited when only a few plots were — the basis to remove your non-litigated plot via the RDO/Collector/CCLA.

My succession/mutation is stuck because of the prohibition. Can this be fixed?

Yes — once the RTI separates your plot from the litigation and a survey identifies it, the wrongful prohibition can be addressed and succession pursued on Meebhoomi.

Is the survey application an RTI?

No — it is a separate application to the revenue department for a survey/localization. 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 drafting-and-filing service starts at ₹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)
• Pattadar passbook / title deed, if any
• The deceased owner’s death certificate
• Legal-heir / family-member details
• Survey number, village and mandal
• Approximate year of purchase
• Any case numbers or 22A reference noticed on IGRS AP