APPLICATION FOR MUTATION OF INHERITANCE

Virasat • Fauti Intkal — a report of acquisition by inheritance under section 34(1) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, and an application to enter the names of the legal heirs in the jamabandi in place of a deceased khewatdar

To

__________
__________

Through the Halqa Patwari of the estate, for entry in the register of mutations and report.

Place: __________ Date: __________

Subject: Report under section 34(1) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 and application for mutation of virasat in the jamabandi of __________, in respect of Khewat / Khatauni No. __________, on the death of Late __________ on __________

Sir / Madam,

1. Who is applying

1.1 I am __________, __________, resident of __________. Mobile: __________

1.2 I make this application as the __________ of the deceased khewatdar named in paragraph 2.

1.3 This is a report of the acquisition of a right by inheritance, made under section 34(1) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887. I request that it be entered in the register of mutations under section 34(3) and that a receipt for it be given to me.

2. The khewatdar who has died

2.1 Late __________, __________, last resident of __________, stood recorded in the jamabandi of the estate as __________, in respect of the land described in Schedule I to this application.

2.2 The share standing in the name of the deceased is: __________. Nothing beyond that share is the subject of this application.

2.3 The deceased died on __________ at __________.

2.4 Succession to the estate of the deceased is governed by __________.

2.5 On the date of death the share described in paragraph 2.2 vested in the legal heirs of the deceased by operation of law. This application seeks no transfer of any kind. It asks only that the revenue record be brought into line with what the law has already done.

3. Whether the deceased left a will

3.1 The position is: __________.

4. Certificates about the heirs

4.1 For the record: a succession certificate under Part X of the Indian Succession Act, 1925 relates to debts and securities and not to immovable property. No such certificate is required for the mutation now applied for, and none is relied upon in respect of the land in Schedule I. The heirs are to be verified against the shajra nasab of the estate held by the Halqa Patwari, in the order in which Punjab Land Records Manual para 7.41(1) requires the khewat to be arranged.

5. The legal heirs and their shares

5.1 The persons named in Schedule II are the legal heirs of the deceased. They are the only persons entitled to succeed to the share described in paragraph 2.2, and no other person has any right of succession to it.

5.2 The shares shown against each heir in Schedule II have been worked out on this basis: __________. Together they exhaust the share of the deceased and no more.

5.3 I have not concealed the name of any heir, and I have not shown as an heir any person who is not one.

5.4 The position of the heirs on this application is: __________

6. Possession, revenue and pending matters

6.1 Since the death of the deceased the heirs named in Schedule II have been in joint possession of the land in Schedule I, cultivating it and meeting the land revenue and other dues payable on it, save as the jamabandi and the khasra girdawari themselves show otherwise. Apart from any tenant so recorded in the cultivation column, no third party is in possession of it under any claim.

6.2 To the best of my knowledge and belief, no suit, appeal, revision, review or other proceeding relating to succession to the estate of the deceased, or to the land in Schedule I, is pending before any court, tribunal or revenue authority, and no order of injunction, stay or attachment operates against the mutation now applied for.

6.3 To the best of my knowledge and belief the estate is not under consolidation proceedings under the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948, and the land in Schedule I is not the subject of any ceiling or land-acquisition proceeding. If a declaration under section 14 of that Act is in fact in force for this estate, I request that this application be forwarded to the Consolidation Officer having jurisdiction.

7. What I ask this office to do

I respectfully pray that this office may be pleased to:

(a) enter this report in the register of mutations under section 34(3) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, allot it an intkal number, and give me a receipt for it;

(b) direct the Halqa Patwari to verify the death and the heirs against the shajra nasab and the jamabandi of the estate and to submit his report, and the Field Kanungo (girdawar) to check the entry;

(c) issue notice to every heir named in Schedule II at the addresses shown there, and cause the mutation to be attested in open assembly in the estate in the presence of the Lambardar, so that any objection may be heard;

(d) after enquiry, sanction the mutation of virasat, expunging the name of Late __________ from Khewat / Khatauni No. __________ to the extent of the share described in paragraph 2.2, and entering the names of the heirs named in Schedule II in his or her place, each against the share shown against that heir in Schedule II;

(e) recover the mutation fee payable under section 38 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 at the time of attestation and issue a printed receipt for it;

(f) direct that the sanctioned entry be carried into the jamabandi of the estate, and permit me to obtain a certified copy (nakal / fard) of the corrected jamabandi on payment of the prescribed fee.

8. Declaration and undertaking

8.1 Everything stated in this application and in its Schedules is true to the best of my knowledge, information and belief. Nothing material has been concealed.

8.2 If it is later found that anything written here is false, or that any heir has been left out of Schedule II, or that any share has been wrongly stated, I shall be personally liable for the consequences. I undertake to indemnify the State and this office against any loss, claim or proceeding arising from any such error or concealment on my part, and I shall have no objection to the entry being corrected or recalled.

8.3 I am aware, and I accept, that a mutation in the jamabandi does not by itself create, transfer, confer or extinguish title to the land. Under section 44 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 an entry is presumed to be true only until the contrary is proved, and under section 45 a person aggrieved by an entry is left to a declaratory suit. A dispute about ownership is for the civil court.

9. Address for service

Any notice, summons or order in this case may be served on me at __________, or on the mobile number __________. I undertake to inform this office in writing of any change.

SCHEDULE I — the land

• Estate, tehsil and district: __________
• Record: the jamabandi of the estate
• Khewat / Khatauni No.: __________
• Kism-e-zameen (classification): __________
• Total area of the khewat (kul rakba): __________
• Share standing in the name of the deceased: __________

Khasra (killa) numbers, with area against each:

__________

SCHEDULE II — the legal heirs and their shares

Every heir of the deceased appears below, with the address at which that heir can be served. A name without a share, a name without an address, or a list that does not add up to the whole share of the deceased, is what an officer refuses to act on. Where an heir's whereabouts are genuinely unknown the words 'not known' appear, so that the officer may order substituted service.

1. __________ — __________ of the deceased — address for service: __________ — share: __________

Basis of the shares: __________

ENCLOSURES

Tick each item before you leave for the tehsil. An application that arrives without its enclosures is handed back at the counter, and that is the commonest way these fail.

☐ Attested copy of the death certificate of Late __________, issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths of the Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat or Gram Panchayat concerned — original to be produced.

☐ Copy of the current jamabandi (fard / nakal) of the estate, showing Khewat / Khatauni No. __________ standing in the name of the deceased. A digitally signed copy can be downloaded from jamabandi.punjab.gov.in.

☐ Shajra nasab or kursi nama (family pedigree table) of the deceased, attested by the Sarpanch of the Gram Panchayat or countersigned by the Halqa Patwari. This is the paper the heirs are checked against.

☐ Affidavit of the applicant, in the form at Annexure A, on non-judicial stamp paper generated as an e-stamp certificate in the deponent's own name, sworn before a notary or an oath commissioner.

☐ Identity proof of the applicant.

☐ Identity proof of each heir named in Schedule II.

☐ Family record — the ration card or the family entry that shows the household of the deceased.

VERIFICATION

I, __________, the applicant above named, verify at __________ on __________ that the contents of the paragraphs numbered 1 to 9 above and of Schedules I and II are true to my personal knowledge and to my information and belief, that no part of it is false, and that nothing material has been concealed.

_______________________________
__________
__________
Applicant
Date: __________ Place: __________

Consent of the other heirs

Each heir signing below confirms that the facts in this application are correct, that Schedule II names every heir of the deceased, and that the share shown against his or her own name is accepted. An heir who does not sign is not removed from Schedule II — that heir will either send a signed consent letter, which is listed in paragraph 5 and enclosed, or will be served with notice, and the mutation will not be attested until the notice has gone out.

ANNEXURE A — AFFIDAVIT

To be typed on non-judicial stamp paper — in Punjab, an e-stamp certificate generated in the deponent's own name — and sworn before a notary appointed under the Notaries Act, 1952 or an oath commissioner. Do not sign it at home.

BEFORE __________, __________

In the matter of mutation of virasat in the jamabandi of __________, Khewat / Khatauni No. __________

AFFIDAVIT

I, __________, __________, resident of __________, do hereby solemnly affirm and state on oath as follows:

1. That I am the __________ of Late __________, __________, and I am competent to swear this affidavit.

1. That Late __________ died on __________ at __________.

1. That the deceased stood recorded in the jamabandi of __________ as __________ in respect of Khewat / Khatauni No. __________, and the share standing in the name of the deceased was __________.

1. That succession to the estate of the deceased is governed by __________.

1. That __________.

1. That the persons named in Schedule II to the accompanying application are the only legal heirs of the deceased entitled to succeed to that share, that they are so related to the deceased as the shajra nasab of the estate shows, and that no other person has any right of succession to it. I have not concealed the name of any heir.

1. That the share shown against each heir in Schedule II is correct, that the shares have been worked out on the basis of __________, and that together they exhaust the share of the deceased and no more.

1. That since the death of the deceased the heirs named in Schedule II have been in joint possession of the land and have been meeting the land revenue and other dues payable on it, save as the jamabandi and the khasra girdawari themselves show otherwise.

1. That no suit, appeal, revision or other proceeding relating to succession to the estate of the deceased, or to the said land, is pending before any court, tribunal or revenue authority, and no order of injunction, stay or attachment operates against the mutation applied for.

1. That if anything in this affidavit is found to be false, or if any heir has been left out, or if any share has been wrongly stated, I shall be liable for the consequences and I undertake to indemnify the State and this office against any loss, claim or proceeding arising from it.

_______________________________
__________
DEPONENT

VERIFICATION

Verified at __________ on __________ that the contents of paragraphs 1 to 10 of this affidavit are true to my personal knowledge and to my information and belief, that no part of it is false, and that nothing material has been concealed.

_______________________________
__________
DEPONENT

Attested before me — Notary / Oath Commissioner

ANNEXURE B — what happens after you file

Guidance for the applicant. It is not part of the application and nobody signs it. Tear it off before you hand the file in if you prefer.

The chain, and who does what

A virasat passes through four hands and it is worth knowing which one your file is in.

1. The Halqa Patwari takes the report, enters it in the register of mutations under section 34(3) of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, and records a rapat in the roznamcha waqiati. He holds the shajra nasab. Ask him for the intkal number and write it down.
2. The Field Kanungo (girdawar) supervises the patwari's circle and validates the entry in the computerised system, after which the two copies — Parat Patwar and Parat Sarkar — are generated.
3. The Circle Revenue Officer, a Naib Tehsildar or Tehsildar sitting as Assistant Collector 2nd Grade, sanctions or rejects the mutation, attests it in open assembly in the estate with the Lambardar present, and recovers the fee.
4. The District Revenue Officer examines mutations disposed of by Naib Tehsildars, and the Deputy Commissioner as Collector examines fard badars from time to time. The Collector is also the officer who holds the section 39 discretion on a late report; the Circle Revenue Officer does not decide that question.

What it costs

The application. Plain paper. It is a report, not an instrument, so there is no stamp duty on it. If the counter asks for a court-fee stamp, ask what the amount is rather than buying one on spec.

The mutation fee is Rs 600, and the pasting fee is Rs 200. Both are from the Government of Punjab, Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, 'Document wise detail of Stamp Duty, Registration Fee and Facilitation charges', published at revenue.punjab.gov.in and retrieved on 6 September 2026 — the mutation fee expressed there as Rs 600 'where ever required' and the pasting fee as Rs 200 'applicable to all the documents'. That table carries no date and no notification number, so ask at the counter and take a printed receipt. The fee is levied under section 38 of the Act, is recovered by the Revenue Officer at the time of attestation, and can be levied only from the person in whose favour the entry is made (Punjab Land Records Manual para 7.33). If your khewat includes a share in the shamilat, a separate fee is leviable for the shamilat.

A fine, if the report is late. Section 39 caps it at five times the fee — Rs 3,000 on the Rs 600 figure — and it is discretionary, and it is the Collector's discretion, not the attesting officer's. Filling in the delay paragraph of the application is how you put a reason in front of him. Families who come forward are rarely fined.

The affidavit. A small fixed duty under Article 4 of Schedule I-A to the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 as in force in Punjab, bought as an e-stamp certificate in the deponent's own name, plus the oath commissioner's fee.

The fard afterwards. Under Punjab Land Records Manual para 3.48, read with Rule 71 of the Punjab Land Revenue Rules, a fard haqiat costs Rs 20 irrespective of the number of khewats and a certified copy of the jamabandi costs Rs 20 per page of the original; a copy of a pending mutation and the counterfoil of a mutation sheet are on the same Rs 20 per page scale. That scale is printed in the manual, which itself carries no revision date, so treat it as indicative and ask at the counter. A computerised nakal issued under Rule 71-B (notified vide No. G.S.R/P.A/1887/Ss.155 and 156/Amd.2009 dated 28-05-2009) is charged on a different scale which the manual does not print, so ask the counter for that figure too. Jamabandi copies were announced free under Easy Jamabandi in June 2025.

Roughly how long

Attestation of an uncontested mutation is a notified service under the Punjab Transparency and Accountability in Delivery of Public Services Act, 2018 with a limit of 45 days. The Designated Officer is the Circle Revenue Officer, the First Appellate Authority is the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Second Appellate Authority is the Deputy Commissioner. Two extra days are added where the application is submitted at a Sewa Kendra, Fard Kendra or Saanjh Kendra.

Easy Jamabandi, launched on 13 June 2025, promises mutation within 30 days of an inheritance request. The two figures do not agree and it has not been established which of them is the notified limit — so ask, at the counter, which period your case is booked under, because the appeal under the 2018 Act runs from the notified period and not from the promise.

One more date matters. The jamabandi is prepared quinquennially, and a mutation on which final orders are passed up to 15 June is incorporated into the new jamabandi (Punjab Land Records Manual para 7.56, tracing to Financial Commissioner's circular No. 30 dated 4 December 1909). An order passed after that waits for the next round unless the Director, Land Records approves a later date.

Where to file

Online. jamabandi.punjab.gov.in, under Online Services, the Request for Mutation of Inheritance (Virasat) service. It asks for the applicant's name, the applicant's father's name and a mobile OTP before it will proceed. The same portal carries the jamabandi, the mutation search, the roznamcha, registered deeds, a digitally signed fard, and a subscription that alerts you when anything happens to your landholding. Navigate to the service from the portal's own menu rather than typing a page address from memory.

In person. The Halqa Patwari for the report, and the Fard Kendra at the tehsil or sub-tehsil for the fard — open Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with requests taken up to 4:00 PM for same-day delivery. In April 2025 the Government decided to move Fard Kendra work to the Sewa Kendras, and yet punjab.gov.in was still listing 157 Fard Kendras on a page updated 04-09-2026. Both counters are in use in different districts; telephone the tehsil before you travel.

If somebody objects

The moment an objection is filed, the case leaves the summary track. The Revenue Officer determines the dispute under section 36 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 and may put the party found in possession into possession, and the entry then follows that finding. From the order, an appeal lies under section 13 to the Collector within 30 days, to the Commissioner of the Division within 60 days, and to the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) within 90 days — section 14 — with limitation running from the date of the order, not from the day you heard about it. Note proviso (i) to section 13: where an original order has been confirmed on first appeal, no further appeal lies. Revenue court cases can be e-filed and tracked at rcms.punjab.gov.in; on 6 September 2026 that system showed 478 active courts, 248,068 cases and an average disposal time of 437 days, so do not treat a contested intkal as a short road.

Do not use a mutation to fix the jamabandi

If what you actually need is a correction of an entry that is already in the jamabandi — a misspelt name, a wrong fraction carried forward, a khasra in the wrong khewat — a mutation is the wrong instrument and Punjab Land Records Manual para 7.30 says so expressly. The instrument is a Fard Badar. Under para 7.29 the Circle Revenue Officer decides a fard badar confined to entries made while preparing the current consigned jamabandi, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate decides one whose corrections extend back into previous jamabandis; no hearing of the parties is required for it. There is an online route on jamabandi.punjab.gov.in headed Request for Fardbadar (Correction in Records). Where the error is in an inconsistent khewat, the alternatives are Sehat Indraj or an application under section 42 of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948.

Mutation is not title

Say this out loud before you start, because families spend money on the wrong fight. An entry in the jamabandi exists for the collection of land revenue and carries a presumption of correctness under section 44 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 — presumed true until the contrary is proved. Section 45 leaves the person who says the entry is wrong to a declaratory suit, which today is a suit under section 34 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963. The Supreme Court has said the same thing about mutation entries repeatedly, in Jattu Ram v. Hakam Singh (1993) 4 SCC 403 and Sawarni v. Inder Kaur (1996) 6 SCC 223 among others. A virasat in your favour does not make you an owner if you are not one, and a virasat in somebody else's favour does not take your ownership away.

Seven things that get a virasat sent back

1. Filing late, and saying nothing about it. Section 39 makes a person who neglects to report within three months of the acquisition liable, at the Collector's discretion, to a fine of up to five times the fee. File anyway — an unreported death is what causes real damage, usually to the grandchildren — but fill in the delay paragraph when you do. A file that is late and silent leaves the Collector nothing to exercise his discretion on; a file that is late and explains itself almost always gets it.
2. An heir left out. Married daughters are Class I heirs and take an equal share under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The children of a child who died before the deceased take their parent's branch share between them. A widow who has remarried still takes as a widow of the deceased. Leave any of them out and the sanctioned mutation is liable to be recalled.
3. Shares that do not add up. Add the fractions in Schedule II before you file. They must come to exactly the share of the deceased and no more.
4. A name spelt differently in the death certificate and in the jamabandi. Fix it in advance with a one-paragraph affidavit that both spellings are the same person.
5. No shajra nasab, or one that is decades old. The khewat is arranged in the order of the shajra nasab (Punjab Land Records Manual para 7.41(1)) and that is the tree the officer checks your heirs against. Where it is out of date, take an attested kursi nama with you.
6. The estate is under chakbandi. Once a declaration under section 14 of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948 is in force, the file belongs to the Consolidation Officer and not to the tehsil. Ask before you file.
7. A relinquishment on plain paper. A letter saying 'I have no objection' gives up nothing, and neither does a notarised one, and neither does a consent letter. Only a registered release deed does, and it carries duty. If the family has agreed that one branch takes the land, get that deed drawn and registered first, then file this application.

What you should get back

1. A receipt for the report and an intkal number, on the day you file. Take two copies of the whole file, hand one in and ask the clerk to stamp the other and give it back — that stamped copy is the cheapest proof of filing there is. Photograph it.
2. The entry visible online, searchable by mutation number on jamabandi.punjab.gov.in, so you can watch it move without going back to the tehsil.
3. Notice to the other heirs, and a date fixed for attestation in open assembly in the estate.
4. The order — the intkal sanctioned by the Circle Revenue Officer — and a printed receipt for the fee.
5. A fresh fard, and this is the one that matters. Buy a certified copy after the order and read every line of it: the spelling of each name, the fraction against each name, every killa number, the kul rakba. A wrong fraction is easy to correct in the week after the order and painful to correct five years later when somebody wants to sell.