How Do You Read a 7/12 Extract Before Buying Land?
- A 7/12 extract (Satbara Utara) is named for Village Forms VII and XII of Maharashtra’s revenue records — not sections 7 and 12 of any Act — and it is free to view on the Mahabhulekh portal (bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in).
- The top half (Form VII) carries the columns that decide whether you can buy: owner name, area, tenure class, and the other rights/encumbrances column.
- Occupant Class-II land cannot be sold without the Collector’s prior permission — this single column, under Section 29 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, can stop a transaction outright.
- Under Section 157 of the same Code, entries in the record of rights are presumed true until the contrary is proved — a legal presumption, not a guarantee of clear title.
- Since the 31 December 2025 MLRC amendment, a plot converted to non-agricultural use after that date will not carry a Sanad reference — check the mutation entries for a planning-permission reference instead. (Full detail: our NA-check guide.)
What is a 7/12 extract, and why does a buyer need one?
A 7/12 extract is Maharashtra’s core land record for agricultural and converted land, and it is named for the two government forms it combines — Village Form VII and Village Form XII — not for sections 7 and 12 of any statute.
Form VII (the top half) records ownership, tenure class and encumbrances; Form XII (the bottom half) records cultivation, possession and land-use. Together they form the “Record of Rights,” and under Section 157 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, an entry in the record of rights “shall be presumed to be true until the contrary is proved.” For a buyer, that presumption is the starting point of due diligence, not the end of it — the document tells you what the state currently believes about the plot; your job is to confirm nothing on it contradicts what the seller has told you.
How to pull a plot’s 7/12 on Mahabhulekh — step by step
Any buyer can view and download a plot’s current 7/12 extract for free, directly from the state government’s own portal, in under a minute if the survey number is known.
As of September 2026, the flow on bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in is:
- Go to bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in and select the “7/12” record type from the home page.
- Choose the Division, District, Taluka and Village from the dropdowns — or search directly by the plot’s 11-digit Property UID if you have it, which is the fastest route.
- If searching manually, enter the Survey/Gat Number (numeric or with a hissa sub-division, e.g. “45/2”), or search by the owner’s name.
- Enter a mobile number and complete the CAPTCHA.
- View and download the extract on screen — this copy is free and fine for preliminary checks.
- For a legally valid, digitally signed copy — the version you actually need for a loan file, registration, or to place on record with a lawyer — apply through Aaple Sarkar (aaplesarkar.mahaonline.gov.in), the state’s citizen-services portal, for a small fee that varies by district.
One detail buyers routinely miss: the free Mahabhulekh copy itself carries a notice that it cannot be used for governmental or legal purposes — treat it as your first look, and get the Aaple Sarkar signed copy before you rely on it in a transaction.
The ownership columns — what Form VII actually shows
Form VII is the half of the 7/12 that establishes who holds the land and on what terms, and every column in it has a specific job in a buyer’s due diligence.
Read it against the seller’s ID and the draft sale documents, column by column:
| Column | What it shows | Why a buyer checks it |
|---|---|---|
| Survey/Gat number | The plot’s unique cadastral identifier (e.g. “45/2” for Survey 45, sub-division 2) | Confirms you are looking at the exact parcel being sold, not an adjoining one |
| Local field name | A traditional, colloquial name for the plot | Carries no legal weight — useful only for local orientation |
| Area | Recorded in hectares and ares (1 hectare = 10,000 sq m; 1 are = 100 sq m) | Must be cross-checked against the sale agreement and any site survey — mismatches are a common dispute trigger |
| Owner/rights-holder name (Khatedar) | The current legal holder(s) and how they acquired the land — inheritance, purchase, gift, partition or court order | Must match your seller’s name and ID exactly; a mismatch means you are not buying from the recorded owner |
| Khata number | Cross-reference to the owner’s consolidated landholding account | Lets you pull every parcel held under the same account, not just the one on offer |
| Other rights / encumbrances (Itar Hakk) | Mortgages, bank charges (including under the SARFAESI Act, 2002), government dues, or restraining court orders | A live entry here can block a clean sale until cleared or discharged |
| Land classification | Jirayat (unirrigated), Bagayat (irrigated), NA (non-agricultural), forest, pasture or government waste | Tells you the land’s current legal use status, independent of what the seller claims |
| Mutation entry number | Cross-reference to the change history in the mutation register | Shows whether the ownership shown is fully certified, or still “under mutation” and open to objection |
Tenure: the column that can stop a purchase outright
Before you agree on price, read the tenure entry — because Maharashtra splits landholders into two classes under Section 29 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, and only one of them can sell freely.
This is arguably the single most consequential column on the entire document for a buyer.
| Tenure class | What it means | Effect on a purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Occupant Class-I | Holds unalienated land in perpetuity with no restriction on the right to transfer | Can be sold or mortgaged in the ordinary course, subject to the usual title checks |
| Occupant Class-II | Holds land in perpetuity subject to restrictions on transfer — typically land granted to former tenants under the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948, or granted by government to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe holders, freedom fighters or ex-servicemen | Cannot be transferred without the Collector’s prior permission, and often a premium payment — a sale without it is void |
If a plot’s tenure reads Class-II, or the “other rights” column references a government grant, treat that as a hard stop: get the Collector’s sanction, or written confirmation it is not required, before any payment changes hands.
Mutation entries (ferfar): the plot’s paper trail
Every recorded change of ownership, inheritance or court order against a plot is logged as a mutation (ferfar) before it becomes a fresh entry in the 7/12, and a buyer should read this trail, not just the current snapshot.
When a sale, inheritance or partition is reported to the Talathi, it is entered in the register of mutations; the entry is displayed publicly and objections can be filed before it is certified and carried into the 7/12. A current 7/12 showing an owner whose mutation is still pending certification is not yet settled — the presumption of correctness under Section 157 applies to a certified entry, and the Bombay High Court and the Maharashtra revenue authorities have consistently treated that presumption as rebuttable, not conclusive proof of title. That is why a 7/12 alone is never the full title check — it is the starting document for one.
The lower half: crops, possession and what it tells you about NA status
Form XII, the bottom half of the extract, records who actually cultivates or possesses the land and what it is used for each season — and for a plotted-land buyer, the land-use entry here is the fastest sanity check on an “NA plot” claim.
It shows the actual possessor (who may differ from the Form VII owner — itself a red flag worth chasing), the nature of possession, crop and irrigation details for agricultural land, and any remarks such as pending court restraint. A plot genuinely converted to non-agricultural use should show a non-agricultural entry here, not a standing crop.
One change to flag specifically: since the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2025 came into force on 31 December 2025, a plot converted after that date will not carry a separate Sanad reference in its mutation entries. Where the intended use is already permitted under the applicable Development or Regional Plan, development/planning permission itself now acts as the conversion — so for a newer plot, look for a planning-permission and premium-payment reference in the mutation entries instead of a Sanad number. For a plot converted before that date, the older Sanad and NA-order references remain the evidence to ask for. (This 2025 change, and the exact premium structure, is covered in full in our companion guide, How to Check if a Plot Is NA in Maharashtra.)
Red flags to stop and verify before you sign anything
- Owner name mismatch — the Khatedar in Column 4 doesn’t match your seller’s ID or the draft agreement.
- Class-II tenure with no Collector sanction on file — a sale without it is void, not just risky.
- A live entry in “other rights” — an unreleased mortgage, SARFAESI charge, or court restraint.
- Land-use still agricultural on a plot marketed as “NA” or “converted” — the record, not the broker, decides this.
- Mutation shown as pending, not certified — the ownership entry itself is not yet settled.
- Area mismatch between the 7/12 and the sale agreement or site plan.
Any one of these is a reason to pause and get the discrepancy resolved in writing — not a reason to renegotiate the price and proceed regardless.
FAQ
What does “7/12” actually stand for?
It stands for Village Form VII and Village Form XII of Maharashtra’s revenue records — not sections 7 and 12 of an Act. Form VII carries ownership and tenure; Form XII carries cultivation and possession. The two are printed together as one extract, which is why it is called the ‘7/12’ or Satbara Utara.
Where can I check a plot’s 7/12 for free?
On the Mahabhulekh portal at bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in, by selecting the district, taluka and village (or the 11-digit Property UID) and searching by survey/gat number or owner name. Viewing and downloading is free; a legally valid, digitally signed copy for registration or loan purposes is obtained separately through Aaple Sarkar for a small fee.
What is the difference between Occupant Class-I and Class-II land?
Class-I land can be transferred freely; Class-II land cannot be sold without the Collector’s prior permission. The distinction comes from Section 29 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. Class-II typically covers land granted to former tenants or to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe holders, freedom fighters or ex-servicemen — always confirm the tenure column before agreeing a price.
Is a 7/12 extract proof of ownership by itself?
No — it is presumptive evidence, not conclusive proof of title. Under Section 157 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, a certified entry ‘shall be presumed to be true until the contrary is proved,’ which is a rebuttable presumption. A full title check still requires the underlying sale deeds, mutation history and, ideally, a lawyer’s title report.
How do I get a legally valid, signed 7/12 copy?
The free copy from Mahabhulekh carries a notice that it cannot be used for governmental or legal purposes. For a digitally signed copy — the version needed for a loan file, registration or a lawyer’s record — apply through Aaple Sarkar at aaplesarkar.mahaonline.gov.in for a small fee that varies by district.
Do plots converted after 31 December 2025 still show a Sanad on the 7/12?
No. Since the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2025 came into force on 31 December 2025, a plot converted after that date carries no separate Sanad reference — look for a planning-permission and premium-payment reference in the mutation entries instead. Plots converted earlier still show the Sanad and NA-order references.
Before you buy
Reading a 7/12 is one column, one step, in a proper title check — and it is different from confirming a plot’s non-agricultural status, which has its own document trail since the December 2025 rule change. If you are evaluating a plotted-land opportunity in Karjat, Khopoli, Alibaug or Shrivardhan, our team can walk you through the actual 7/12 and mutation history for that specific survey number.
Related reading
Records & title documents
- The property card and 8A
- The ‘other rights’ column on a 7/12
- Mutation entries (ferfar) explained
- Verifying title before you buy
- The order to check land documents
- Registering a land sale in Maharashtra
- Class-1 vs Class-2 land
- Varg-1 vs Varg-2 land in Raigad
NA, tenure & approvals
- What NA land actually means
- The NA conversion premium
- NA plot vs agricultural land
- Is an NA Sanad still required
- Deemed NA through plan approval
- Building permission for a plot
RERA & buying order
- What ‘RERA-approved plots’ really means
- Checking a MahaRERA registration
- Right of way and plot access
- How to shortlist a plot
- What Lords of the Lands builds
- How to Check if a Plot Is NA in Maharashtra (2026) — the December 2025 Sanad/NA rule change, in full
- Title due-diligence checklist for plotted land
- What RERA verification a plotted-land buyer must do
Citations and sources
Figures, rules and timelines in this guide are drawn from Maharashtra government records and official portals; verify every plot’s records independently before you transact. This is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Official sources: Mahabhumi 7/12 (Bhulekh) · IGR Maharashtra.
