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The short answer
An RoR correction in Odisha depends on what is wrong and when the record was prepared. A spelling or arithmetical slip can be corrected by the revenue officer on application after notice to the parties; an entry that no longer matches the facts, such as a holder who has died or sold, is corrected through a case before the Tahasildar; and a wrong entry in a finally published settlement record is challenged in revision before the Board of Revenue under Section 15(b) of the Odisha Survey and Settlement Act, 1958, or in the civil court if it turns on title.
What an RoR correction in Odisha covers
An RoR correction in Odisha means changing an entry in the Record of Rights (the khatiyan) so that it shows the correct holder, share, area, plot, kisam or remark. The Record of Rights is prepared during survey and settlement operations under the Odisha Survey and Settlement Act, 1958 (OSS Act, still often cited as the Orissa Survey and Settlement Act) and is then kept up to date by the Tahasil. Under Section 13 of the OSS Act every entry is presumed correct until it is proved wrong, so a mistake left in the record can cause trouble in a sale, a bank loan, a conversion case or a family partition. For how to read the record, see the Record of Rights guide, and for the terms used, the land terms glossary.
Clerical errors and substantive errors
The route depends on the kind of mistake.
| Kind of error | Examples | Usual route |
|---|---|---|
| Clerical or arithmetical | Misspelt name or father's name, a wrongly totalled area, a digit slipped in a plot number | Correction on application, after notice to the parties (Section 41, OSS Act, during operations; a correction case at the Tahasil afterwards) |
| Entry no longer matches the facts | Recorded holder has died, sold, gifted or partitioned; land recorded under the wrong kisam; possession has changed | Mutation or correction case before the Tahasildar under the OSS Rules |
| Wrong entry made at settlement | Private land recorded as government land, a co-sharer left out, the wrong person recorded in the hal (current) record | Objection or appeal while operations are on; revision before the Board of Revenue after final publication; or a civil suit |
| Dispute over ownership | Two people both claim the same plot under different deeds | Civil court; the revenue record follows the decree |
While survey and settlement is still going on
If your village is under settlement, act at the draft stage. Under Section 12 of the OSS Act the Assistant Settlement Officer publishes the draft Record of Rights and hears objections to any entry or omission. An order on the objection can be appealed under Section 12-A to the Settlement Officer (or another empowered officer) within 30 days. Only after this stage is the record finally published under Section 12-B. Section 41 separately allows settlement and survey officers to correct clerical or arithmetical mistakes and accidental slips or omissions, on application or on their own, after reasonable notice to the parties. Fixing the record at this stage is far simpler than trying to undo a final entry later.
Correcting the record at the Tahasil (between settlements)
Once the record is final, Section 16 of the OSS Act requires it to be kept up to date under the rules, and the Odisha Survey and Settlement Rules give this work to the Tahasildar. The grounds for changing an entry, set out in Rule 34, include agreement of all the persons interested, a civil court decree, and an entry that has no relationship with the existing facts. Rule 35 provides that a change arising from a revenue or civil court order is carried out by the Tahasildar on receipt of the order, without a fresh mutation proceeding.
- Get the current record. Download the RoR from Bhulekh and, if needed, take a certified copy from the Tahasil.
- Collect the proof of the correct entry. Registered deeds, the earlier (sabik) RoR, a decree, a death certificate and legal heir certificate, rent receipts, and any identity document showing the correct spelling of a name.
- Apply to the Tahasildar. Describe the khata and plot, the entry as it stands, the correction sought and the reason. The Tahasil registers it as a mutation or miscellaneous case. Ask whether the Revenue Department's online services accept your type of application.
- Notice and objections. A general notice is put up in the village and individual notices go to the persons affected, inviting objections.
- Enquiry. The Revenue Inspector reports on possession and the record keeper checks the record room. Attend the hearing with the original documents.
- Order and record. If allowed, the change is made in the RoR. Check the updated khatiyan on Bhulekh.
A Tahasildar's order in such a case can generally be appealed to the Sub-Collector; check the time limit for appeal in the rules (commonly 30 days, excluding the time taken to obtain a copy). Read the order to confirm the forum and see how the revenue courts are arranged. Ordinary changes after a sale or inheritance are explained in mutation in Odisha.
The 2025 change for land bought before settlement
A common problem is land bought by a registered deed before settlement operations, where the new (hal) RoR was still prepared in the seller's name or as government land. Until 2025 the remedy was usually a revision before the Board of Revenue or another revisional court. In November 2025 the state approved amendments to the OSS Rules empowering Tahasildars to record such land in the buyer's name, and in December 2025 the Revenue Department issued a standard operating procedure under the Odisha Survey and Settlement (Amendment) Rules, 2025. Under it, applications based on old registered sale deeds are made at the Tahasil with the deeds uploaded online, the Tahasildar verifies the documents and the Revenue Inspector's report on possession, and pending mutation cases of this kind were transferred from revisional courts to Tahasildars. Check the current position with the Tahasil before choosing between this route and a revision.
Revision under Section 15(b) before the Board of Revenue
For a wrong entry in a finally published Record of Rights, Section 15(b) of the OSS Act allows an application for revision to the Board of Revenue at Cuttack. The Act ties the application to one year from final publication. The Orissa High Court has held that an application filed after that must still be made within a reasonable time, and that delays running into decades are not reasonable. The Board must hear the parties before directing any change, and a revision cannot override a civil court's order. In practice the Board's revisional work is also heard by additional revisional courts and officers the Revenue Department authorises; the case number and notice will show which court has the file.
When the civil court is the right forum
Revenue officers do not finally decide title. If the correction depends on who owns the land, for example competing deeds or a disputed family partition, the remedy is a suit for declaration of title (with injunction or possession, as needed) before the civil court. Section 42 of the OSS Act bars suits challenging settlement proceedings, but allows a person aggrieved by an entry in the final record to sue within three years of publication, and the courts have held that a suit based on title is not barred by it. Once the decree is final, the Tahasildar corrects the record on it. See how a civil suit moves and partition of family land.
If nothing happens or the order is wrong
- Keep the acknowledgement and case number, and check the status at the Tahasil.
- Apply for certified copies of every order and the order sheet as soon as an order is passed; the time for appeal runs from the order.
- Where a case is kept pending for years or an order is passed without notice or reasons, a writ petition before the Orissa High Court may be possible. The High Court usually expects the statutory appeal or revision to be used first.
Related work handled is described under land and property, and the offices and courts involved are listed on the courts page.
Odia terms used in this guide
| Odia | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ଖତିୟାନ | khatiyan | the Record of Rights page for a holding |
| ସଂଶୋଧନ | sansodhana | correction or amendment |
| ଅଧିକାର ଅଭିଲେଖ | adhikara abhilekha | Record of Rights |
Frequently asked questions
How can I correct my name in the RoR in Odisha?
Apply to the Tahasildar with the current RoR, a document showing the correct name and any deed or certificate that supports it. The Tahasil issues notice, makes an enquiry and, if satisfied, corrects the entry. Check the corrected khatiyan on Bhulekh afterwards.
Which section of the OSS Act is used for RoR correction?
It depends on the stage. Section 12 covers objections to the draft record and Section 12-A the appeal, Section 41 covers clerical and arithmetical mistakes, and Section 15(b) gives a revision before the Board of Revenue against a finally published record. Corrections between settlements are made by the Tahasildar under the OSS Rules.
Can a wrong entry on Bhulekh be corrected online?
Bhulekh shows the record; it does not correct it. A correction needs an order from the competent revenue officer. Some applications, including those under the 2025 procedure for old registered deeds, can be filed through the Revenue Department's online services, so ask the Tahasil which route applies.
My land is wrongly recorded as government land in the hal RoR. What can I do?
If you hold it under an old registered deed, ask the Tahasil about the 2025 procedure under the amended OSS Rules. Otherwise the usual remedies are a Section 15(b) revision before the Board of Revenue or a civil suit for declaration of title.
What is the time limit for an OSS 15(b) revision?
Section 15(b) refers to one year from final publication of the record. A later application must be made within a reasonable time; very long delays have been held unreasonable by the Orissa High Court.
Does a corrected RoR prove that I own the land?
No. The RoR is strong evidence of the recorded position and is presumed correct until disproved, but title rests on deeds, inheritance and court decrees.
Official sources
- Orissa Survey and Settlement Act, 1958 (Revenue & DM Department)
- Orissa Mutation Manual and OSS Rules (IGR Odisha)
- Report on the December 2025 SOP under the OSS (Amendment) Rules, 2025 (OdishaTV)
- Bhulekh: Odisha land records
- Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Odisha
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.