Chapter IV LAND RECORDS

(1) The Settlement Officer shall, for every village or for every such local area as may be specified in this behalf by the Government by a notification, prepare:--

(a) a Settlement Register; and

(b) a Register of Rights, showing the consolidation of all the lands in the village or local area, holding-wise.

(2) The Settlement Register and the Register of Rights shall be prepared on the basis of survey records in such language and in such form and manner as may be prescribed and shall include the following particulars:

(i) survey number and subdivision of the land; (ii) the extent of land and assessment due thereon; (iii) the name of the registered holder; (iv) the name of the tenant, if any, cultivating the land; and (v) such other particulars as may be prescribed.

(1) As soon as may be after the finalisation of the Register of Rights, the Settlement Officer shall publish it in the manner prescribed and the Register so published shall be called the approved Register of Rights.

(2) The Settlement Officer shall revise the Settlement Register on the basis of the approved Register of Rights.

(3) The extract of the relevant entries of the approved Register of Rights, duly certified by the prescribed authority, shall be admissible in evidence before any court or tribunal.

(1) Where any person claims that in respect of any land already included in the approved Register of Rights any modification is required in respect of the entries in the said register, either by reason of death of any person or by reason of transfer of interest or by reason of any other subsequent change in the holding, he shall apply to such officer as may be specified in this behall by the Collector, for modification of the relevant entries in the approved Register of Rights.

(2) An application under sub-section (1) shall contain such particulars as may be prescribed and shall be accompanied by documents relied on by the applicant as evidence in support of his claim. (3) The officer specified under sub-section (1) shall, after following such procedure as may be prescribed and after giving the person or person interested in the land to which the particular entry relates an opportunity of being heard, pass such orders as he deems fit, either rejecting or allowing the claims made in the application and in the event of the claim being allowed the Register of Rights shall be modified accordingly.

(4) Every order passed under sub-section (3) shall contain brief reasons therefor.

(1) Any person acquiring by succession, survivorship inheritance, partition, purchase, gift, mortgage, lease or otherwise any right in a land or where such person acquiring the right is a minor or otherwise disqualified, his guardian or other person having charge of his property shall report in writing his acquisition of such right to such officer as may be specified in this behalf by the Collector, within three months from the date of such acquisition and the said officer shall at once give a written acknowledgement of the receipt of the report to the person making it:

Provided that any person acquiring the right by virtue of a registered document shall be exempted from the obligation to report to the said officer.

(2) Any person who fails to make a report as required by sub-section (1) shall be liable to pay such penalty not exceeding twenty-five rupees as may be fixed by the Collector and the amount payable as penalty shall be recoverable as an arrear of land revenue:

Provided that no penalty shall be imposed under this sub-section without giving to the person concerned a reasonable opportunity of being heard.

No document by virtue of which any person acquires a right in any land as registered holder, occupant, owner, mortgagee, lessee or tenant or assignee, of the rent or revenue thereunder shall be registered under the Indian Registration Act, 1908 (12 of 1908), unless the person liable to pay the registration fees also pays to the Registering authority such fees as may be prescribed for making the necessary entries in the approved Register of Rights and other connected registers and on the registration of such document the registering authority shall make a report of the acquisition of the right to the officer specified by the Collector under sub-section (1) of section 17 in the manner prescribed.

(1) There shall be maintained for every village a Register of mutations in such form as may be prescribed.

(2) On receipt of a report under sub-section (1) of section 17 or under section 18, the officer specified by the Collector under sub-section (1) of section 17 shall correct the entries in the approved Register of Rights after making such enquiries as are necessary, and after hearing objections, if any. Any such correction made shall be communicated by the said officer to all persons who from the Register of Rights or the Register of Mutations appear to be interested in the mutation and to any other person whom the said officer has reason to believe to be interested therein.

(3) The entries effected in the approved Register of Rights in accordance with sub-section (2) shall be tested and certified by such officer as may be specified by the Collector in this behalf.

Certified copies of extracts or entries in the approved Register of Rights and the Settlement Register may be granted to any person interested therein by such officer and on payment of such fees as may be prescribed.

(1) Any person aggrieved by any order made under this Act may appeal,

(i) if such order is made under clause (ii) of sub-section (3) of section 14, to the Director; and

(ii) if such order is made under sub-section (3) of section 16 or in the case of a correction made under sub-section (2) of section 19, to the Collector.

(2) Every appeal under sub-section (1) shall be preferred within thirty days of the date of receipt of order appealed against and the Director or the Collector, as the case may be, after giving the parties concerned an opportunity of being heard, pass such order as he deems fit.

(3) Every order, made by the Director or the Collector shall, subject to section 22, be final.