Land Purchase Precautions in Bangladesh: Verify Khatians

Land Purchase Precautions in Bangladesh: How to Verify CS, SA, RS and City Jarip Khatians

You have found a plot at a fair price. The seller is friendly and the deed looks fine. But what if the seller's name was never in the government record, or a relative holds a competing claim?

Many land disputes start before the sale, with a document that was never checked properly. This guide explains how to verify the survey records (khatian) before you pay. It also covers what the law says and where to go if something is wrong.

Why Khatian Verification Matters Before You Buy

A khatian (খতিয়ান) is the government's record-of-rights. It is a record prepared through land survey. It is used to establish possession and ownership and to assess land development tax.

It is not the same as your deed, so you need both. A deed (দলিল) records the transfer. The khatian shows how the state's records see the land.

The law gives these records real weight. Under section 144A of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950 (SAT Act), every entry in a record-of-rights prepared or revised under section 144 is evidence of what it states. It is presumed correct until proved otherwise.

A wrong entry therefore works against you until someone removes it, and removing it can take years.

CS, SA, RS, BS and City Jarip: What Each Record Means

Land in Bangladesh has often been surveyed more than once. Each survey produces its own khatian, with its own plot numbers (দাগ নম্বর) and owner names.

Which khatian matters most? Generally, the latest finally published record is the starting point. Under SAT Act s.144, a revised record-of-rights is prepared and then finally published.

Do not stop there. You must trace the chain backwards through every earlier khatian.

What the Law Says (Key Provisions)

Seller must have a current khatian

Section 6(3) of the Land Crimes Prevention and Remedy Act, 2023 is the key protection for buyers. If a person has no current khatian in their name (prepared or updated under SAT Act s.143 or s.144), and cannot show proof of updated land development tax, they cannot sell, gift or transfer the land. They also cannot execute a power of attorney or register a deed for it. The same section says it does not reduce the Registration Act, 1908.

Fraud and forgery

• Section 4 (land fraud) covers acts such as presenting someone else's land as your own, hiding facts while transferring land, or impersonating another person to sell land. The punishment is up to 7 years' imprisonment and a fine.
• Section 5 (land forgery) covers making or altering false land documents. The punishment is also up to 7 years and a fine.
• Offences under ss.4 and 5 are non-bailable, and all offences under the Act are cognizable. The trial must be completed within 180 days of receiving the case (s.19).
• A court that finds a document forged must send its judgment to the District Commissioner and other authorities so the records are noted (s.6(1)).
• A court may also order compensation to a financially harmed buyer (s.20).

Getting possession back

If you are removed from your land without a court or authority order, you may apply to the Executive Magistrate to restore possession. The Act sets a target of 3 months from the application (s.8).

Correcting a wrong record

Under SAT Act s.145A, a person aggrieved by the final publication of the last revised record-of-rights can file a suit in the Land Survey Tribunal. The limits are:

• The suit must be filed within one year of publication, or of the tribunal's establishment, whichever is later.
• The tribunal may admit a late suit within one more year if the reasons for delay are satisfactory.
• The tribunal must finish the trial within 180 days from the date fixed for final hearing.
• It can declare the record incorrect and direct the land office to correct it.

If a buyer finds an error in an old survey record, the filing window may already have closed. Take legal advice early.

Registration changes in 2026

The Registration Act, 1908 was amended by ordinances in 2026. These included provisions allowing documents to be presented and registered digitally through government-approved software. Parliament later considered the interim-period ordinances, and a Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was among the bills passed in April 2026. 

Step-by-Step: How to Verify Land Before You Buy

1. Collect the seller's documents. Ask for the registered deed, all previous deeds (ভায়া দলিল, the chain of earlier transfers), the latest khatian, the mutation khatian, and the latest land development tax receipt (ভূমি উন্নয়ন কর দাখিলা).

2. Get khatian copies from every survey. Collect CS, SA, RS, BS and/or City Jarip copies for the same land. Prefer certified copies (সহি মুহুরী নকল) from the District Record Room or land office. Online copies are useful for screening.

3. Compare them line by line. Check each of these across the surveys:

• Plot (দাগ) numbers and whether they were split or merged
• Total area and the seller's share
• Class of land (agricultural, homestead, pond, and so on)
• Owner names and spellings
• Whether the owner chain is unbroken from the earliest record to the seller

4. Check the mouja map. Confirm that the plot shown on the map matches the land you will be shown on site.

5. Check mutation and tax. Confirm that the seller's name appears in the mutation record and that land tax is paid up to date.

6. Search for hidden problems. Look for pending civil or criminal cases, bank mortgages, government khas or acquisition claims, and competing heirs. Ask the Sub-Registrar's office for earlier registered deeds on the same land.

7. Verify the seller and the heirs. If the land is inherited, every heir's share must be accounted for. If someone signs through a power of attorney, check that it is genuine and still valid.

8. Visit the land. Meet the neighbours, check who is in possession, and measure the boundaries.

9. Register properly and pay by bank. Keep every receipt. Make the payment through a traceable channel.

10. Apply for mutation immediately. Use the online system at mutation.land.gov.bd. The Ministry of Land aims to resolve ordinary applications in about 28 days, and the official fee is reported at Tk 1,170 

Common Mistakes (From a Practising Advocate's Viewpoint)

• Trusting the deed alone. A deed does not prove the seller was the true owner.
• Checking only the latest khatian. Errors often began in an earlier survey.
• Ignoring plot-number changes. Plots are often renumbered between surveys. Without a cross-reference, you may be checking the wrong land.
• Skipping the site visit. The land may be occupied by someone else.
• Not tracing all heirs. One missing heir can later challenge the sale.
• Delaying mutation. Without it, the revenue record still shows the old owner, and you may be unable to resell or mortgage.
• Ignoring arrears. Unpaid land development tax can block mutation and survey-record updates.

A Realistic Example (Anonymised)

A buyer in a Dhaka-adjacent area purchased a plot after seeing only the seller's deed and a tax receipt. Later, the buyer found that the latest survey record listed a different person for the same plot, due to an earlier recording error. The seller's family was still in the old CS/SA chain.

Had the buyer compared the CS, SA and RS/BS khatians first, the mismatch would have been visible before payment. The buyer then faced a long process to correct the record. (This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client case.)

Where to Go

• AC (Land) Office: mutation and current land records
• District Record Room: certified khatian copies
• Sub-Registrar's Office: registered deeds and registration
• Land Survey Tribunal (at the district level): suits to correct the final survey record
• Executive Magistrate / District Commissioner: possession restoration under the 2023 Act
• Judicial Magistrate / Metropolitan Magistrate Court: trial of land fraud and forgery offences
• Civil Court: title and declaration suits

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

• Verify the deed, the khatians (CS to latest), the mouja map, mutation and tax, not just one document.
• Under the 2023 Act, a seller without a current khatian and updated tax proof cannot lawfully sell.
• Fraud and forgery in land documents carry up to 7 years' imprisonment.
• Record-correction suits have strict time limits, so act early.
• Mutate promptly after you buy.