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The short answer
The Record of Rights, or khatian, records who holds a plot, its area and its land classification. Copies can be viewed on the state's Bhulekh portal by district, tahasil, village and khata or plot number. Before a purchase or a dispute, it is worth checking the current entry against older settlement records and the title deeds.
What a Record of Rights shows
Land in each village (mouza) is recorded holding by holding. Each holding has a khata number, and the Record of Rights for that khata typically shows:
- the name or names of the recorded holder(s), usually with a parent's or spouse's name;
- each plot number included in the khata, with its area;
- the land's classification (kisam), for example agricultural land or homestead;
- the land revenue (rent) payable; and
- remarks, such as notes of orders, special conditions or restrictions affecting the land.
Settlement records and current records
Records of Rights are prepared and revised during survey and settlement operations under the Odisha Survey and Settlement Act, 1958. Between settlements, the record is kept up to date through mutation and correction cases at the Tahasil. So there are usually two layers to look at: the record as finally published at the last settlement, and the current record showing changes made since. Reading both shows how a plot passed from one holder to the next, and whether each change is backed by a deed, an inheritance or an order.
How to check your RoR on Bhulekh
- Open the Government of Odisha's Bhulekh portal at bhulekh.ori.nic.in and choose the option to view the Record of Rights.
- Select the district, then the tahasil, then the village.
- Search by khata number or plot number (other search options are shown on the portal).
- Open the record and check every column, including the remarks.
The online view is useful for information. Where a court, registering office or bank needs a copy, ask which form of copy it accepts; certified copies of land records are applied for at the Tahasil office.
What an RoR does and does not prove
An entry in the Record of Rights is strong evidence of who holds the land and in what character, and it is relied on by revenue offices, banks and buyers. But it is a revenue record, not a document of title. Ownership comes from a registered deed, from succession, or from a decree of a court. Where the record and the title documents conflict, the civil court decides title.
What to check in an RoR
- Do the names match the seller, the deeds and the family tree?
- Do the plot numbers and areas match the deed and the land on the ground?
- Does the kisam allow the intended use, or is conversion needed?
- Do the remarks mention government land, restrictions, pending cases or orders?
- Is each change since the last settlement backed by a mutation order?
If the record is wrong
Clerical errors and changes that were never recorded are usually corrected through a mutation or correction case before the Tahasildar. Orders of revenue officers can be challenged before the higher revenue authorities and, in appropriate cases, before the Orissa High Court. A genuine dispute over who owns the land is for the civil court.
How a correction is applied for is set out in RoR correction in Odisha, and appeals against revenue orders in how revenue courts work in Odisha. For the words used in the record, see khata, kisam, sabik and other land record terms; for the plot's shape and neighbours, see Odisha village maps and Bhunaksha.
Frequently asked questions
What is a khata number?
It is the number given to a holding in a village. One khata can include several plots recorded in the name of the same holder or holders, and the Record of Rights is organised khata by khata.
Is the Bhulekh printout a certified copy?
The online record is a convenient view for information. For courts, registration or a bank, ask which form of copy is accepted; certified copies of land records are issued through the Tahasil.
Does my name in the Record of Rights make me the owner?
Not by itself. The Record of Rights is a revenue record. Ownership comes from a registered deed, succession or a court decree, which is why both the record and the title documents need to be in order.
What if the area in the RoR differs from my deed?
Compare the settlement record, the deed and the village map, and have the land measured. A recording error can be corrected through a case before the Tahasildar; a real dispute over boundaries or title may need the civil court.
Official sources
- Bhulekh, Government of Odisha (land records)
- Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Government of Odisha
- Odisha Survey and Settlement Act, 1958 (India Code)
General information, not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts and documents, and the law and official procedures change. Check the current position with the concerned office, or take advice on your own facts, before acting.