TRW & Co · Land & Property
Khatian Correction Lawyer in Chittagong (Chattogram)
A khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong fixes wrong names, shares, dag numbers and areas in the record of rights. Clerical errors can go to the AC Land; wrong entries in a finally published survey record go to the Land Survey Tribunal, with strict time limits. We explain which route fits your error and how cases run in Chattogram.
Key pointThe Land Survey Tribunal can declare a survey entry wrong but cannot decide who owns the land, so where ownership is genuinely contested a civil suit must run alongside or instead of the correction case.
At a glance
Tribunal deadline is short
Section 145A allows one year from final publication of the record, or from the tribunal's establishment if later, plus one further year with reasons.
Clerical errors to AC Land
A 2021 Ministry of Land circular directs AC Land offices to correct clerical mistakes and certain other errors in finally published records.
Appeals now operational
The 2023 amendment let District Judges preside over Land Survey Appellate Tribunals; appeals lie within three months, extendable by three.
Records, not title
The High Court Division held in 2025 that Land Survey Tribunals cannot decide title or possession and treat the SA record as baseline.
Digital survey under way
The Bangladesh Digital Survey began in Chattogram in August 2023, covering the City Corporation area; object at draft stage.
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What a khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong does
A khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong fixes errors in the record of rights: a wrong owner's name, a missing heir, an incorrect share, a dag number recorded against the wrong person, or land area that has shifted between plots in the latest survey. The work ranges from a simple application to the Assistant Commissioner (Land) to a full case before the Land Survey Tribunal, sometimes alongside a civil suit over title.
A khatian (porcha) records who holds which land in a mouza, with names, shares, dag numbers, land class and area. It is not a title deed, but almost every land transaction depends on it. Sub-registrars look for the seller's record of rights before registering a sale, banks ask for it before lending, and developers will not sign with an owner who is not on the record.
In Chattogram, errors are common. Successive surveys, rapid urban growth across Nasirabad, Khulshi, Halishahar and Bakalia, inherited holdings split among many heirs, and absent owners working abroad all create room for mistakes and, sometimes, deliberate wrong entries. The right remedy depends on what kind of error it is and when it happened, and choosing the wrong forum can waste years.
Which khatian is wrong? Survey and mutation records
Bangladesh has been surveyed several times, and each survey produced its own khatians. A khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong first establishes which record contains the error, because the remedy follows from that.
- CS (Cadastral Survey): the British-era root record, used to trace old titles.
- SA (State Acquisition): prepared after the abolition of zamindari; courts treat it as the baseline when testing later records.
- RS (Revisional Survey): the operative record in areas where no later survey has been finalised.
- BS (Bangladesh Survey): the latest finally published record across most of Chattogram, and the record most correction cases concern.
- BDS (Bangladesh Digital Survey): the new digital survey, whose first phase began in Chattogram in August 2023 and covers the City Corporation area among others.
- Mutation khatian: created by the AC Land when ownership changes by sale, inheritance or decree.
Records can be searched on the Ministry of Land's Digital Land Record Management System. Our guide on how to check a khatian online explains the search, and khatian types explained compares the surveys.
The legal framework for correcting a record of rights
State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950
The State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 governs the preparation, revision and maintenance of the record of rights. Section 143 empowers revenue officers to keep the record up to date, including by correcting clerical mistakes; the Tenancy Rules 1955 set out the procedure, including rules on clerical mistakes and fraudulent entries.
In 2021 the Ministry of Land issued a circular, published in the Bangladesh Gazette in August 2021, instructing AC Land offices to correct clerical mistakes, fraudulent entries and bona fide mistakes in finally published records, drawing on section 143 and the Tenancy Rules. The aim was to spare owners a tribunal or civil case for minor errors. Fees are payable through the land office system.
The Land Survey Tribunal
Chapter XVIIA, inserted in 2004, established Land Survey Tribunals. Under section 145A, a person aggrieved by an entry in the last finally published record may sue within one year of final publication, or of the tribunal's establishment if later; the tribunal may admit a suit filed within a further year if satisfied with the reasons for delay.
Appeals lie to a Land Survey Appellate Tribunal under section 145B within three months, extendable by three months for sufficient cause. The State Acquisition and Tenancy (Amendment) Act 2023 allowed District Judges to preside over the Appellate Tribunal, ending years in which no appeal forum operated. The tribunals follow the Code of Civil Procedure, and their decisions carry statutory finality.
High Court Division guidance
In Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024, decided on 20 July 2025, the High Court Division held that Land Survey Tribunals are not civil courts and cannot decide title or possession; they decide whether the record is wrong. The court treated the SA record as the baseline, said a BS entry that cannot be traced back to it may be declared erroneous, and encouraged reliance mainly on affidavit evidence.
Related laws
The Registration Act 1908 requires a seller to produce the record of rights before a sale deed is registered, so an uncorrected khatian blocks sales. The Land Crimes Prevention and Remedy Act 2023 criminalises fraudulent conduct around land records. Title disputes remain with the civil courts under the Specific Relief Act 1877.
Where these matters are handled in Chattogram
Administrative corrections go to the AC Land for the land's location: the revenue circle land offices inside the metropolitan area, or the upazila land offices in places such as Hathazari, Patiya, Sitakunda, Mirsarai, Anwara and Boalkhali. The union or municipal land office usually reports on the field position and the existing holding before the AC Land decides.
Land Survey Tribunal suits for Chattogram land are heard within the Chattogram judgeship, at the court complex in the Kotwali area listed by the Chattogram district judiciary, with appeals to the Appellate Tribunal. Civil suits on title go to the civil court with territorial jurisdiction, by value, from Assistant Judge upwards. Revenue appeals against mutation orders go to the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) at the Deputy Commissioner's office.
Because the forums sit in different buildings and follow different procedures, a khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong keeps one consolidated file and one timetable. Orders in one forum often have to be produced in another: a tribunal decree before the AC Land, or a civil court injunction before the tribunal. Keeping certified copies flowing between them avoids the most common delays.
Where an office refuses to act on a valid order, or acts without jurisdiction or a hearing, a writ petition in the High Court Division may be available; our writ lawyers handle those filings.
AC Land, tribunal or civil court: choosing the forum
Most failed correction attempts start in the wrong place. A khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong maps each problem to its forum before filing anything.
| Problem | Usual route | Forum | Key points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misspelled name, wrong father's name, clerical slip | Correction application | AC Land of the circle or upazila | Administrative; supported by documents; based on the 2021 circular |
| Error during a survey still in progress | Objection and appeal at survey stages | Survey officers | The cheapest moment to fix; watch the digital survey's draft publication |
| Wrong owner, share, dag or area in a finally published survey record | Land Survey Tribunal suit | Land Survey Tribunal, then the Appellate Tribunal | One year from final publication, plus up to one more year with reasons |
| Wrong mutation order | Revenue appeal | ADC (Revenue), then higher revenue forums | Short time limits from the order |
| Dispute over ownership or possession | Declaration of title, possession or partition suit | Civil court | The tribunal cannot decide title; separate limitation rules |
The tribunal corrects records; it does not decide who owns the land. Confusing the two is the costliest mistake in this field.
Where the error sits in a mutation record, our mutation lawyers handle the revenue route, and our guide to the mutation appeal process explains the time limits. Where ownership is really in dispute, our land lawyers and partition suit lawyers take the civil route.
Bringing a Land Survey Tribunal case, step by step
For a wrong entry in a finally published BS record, a khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong will usually proceed as follows:
- Fix the date. Obtain certified copies of the BS khatian and mouza map and establish the date of final publication for the mouza. That date drives limitation.
- Trace the chain. Collect certified SA and RS khatians, CS where relevant, and every deed, decree and mutation linking the SA record to you.
- Classify the error. Decide whether it is clerical (AC Land), a record error (tribunal) or a title dispute (civil court), or a mix needing parallel proceedings.
- Identify the parties. Join the Government through the Deputy Commissioner and survey authorities, everyone recorded in the disputed entry, and anyone whose share would change. Trace heirs of deceased recorded persons first.
- Draft and file. The plaint seeks a declaration that the entry is erroneous and a direction to correct it, with the delay explained if filing in the second year.
- Evidence and hearing. Evidence is largely documentary and by affidavit; survey maps and certified records do most of the work.
- Implement the decree. Follow up with the record office to correct the khatian, then apply for mutation and update the land development tax holding.
- Appeal if needed. Either side may appeal to the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal within the statutory period.
Order certified copies of every survey record for your dags at the start, not when the hearing is near. Record rooms take time, and a tribunal case filed on photocopies invites objections and adjournments.
Our guide to the Land Survey Tribunal covers the procedure in more detail.
Evidence that wins and loses correction cases
Correction cases are decided on records. The strongest files show an unbroken line from the SA khatian to the applicant: the SA entry, registered deeds or inheritance, any decree, mutation khatians and land development tax receipts.
- certified CS, SA, RS and BS khatians for every dag;
- mouza maps from successive surveys, ideally overlaid by a qualified surveyor;
- registered sale, gift or partition deeds, and their certified copies;
- heirship evidence, such as a warish certificate, where land passed by inheritance;
- mutation khatians and current land development tax receipts;
- survey-stage objection papers, if any were filed.
Weak files rely on possession alone, unregistered documents or oral family history. Those may matter in a civil suit, but they rarely persuade a tribunal that a survey record is wrong. Boundary and area disputes, common where plots have been subdivided, are often decided by a well-labelled map comparison rather than by testimony.
The digital survey in Chattogram city
The Bangladesh Digital Survey's first phase began in Chattogram in August 2023 and covers the City Corporation area, linking digital maps with records. For city owners, this is both a risk and an opportunity. Errors in the old BS record can be raised during the survey's attestation and objection stages, far more cheaply than in a tribunal later.
The same process can introduce new errors. Owners who do not respond to draft publication may find that a later finally published record repeats an old mistake or creates a new one. A khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong can monitor publication for your mouzas and lodge objections with the supporting chain of documents.
Survey notices are published locally, and absent owners, particularly probashis, often miss them. Ask a trusted person or your lawyer to watch for notices covering your mouza and to collect copies of draft records as soon as they appear.
Risks and common mistakes
Missing the tribunal deadline
The limitation period for a Land Survey Tribunal suit runs from final publication of the record, not from the date you discovered the error. Many owners learn of a wrong BS entry only when a buyer's lawyer or a bank checks the record, by which time the first year has passed. A suit in the second year needs a convincing explanation for delay, and after that the tribunal route is effectively closed, leaving only a civil suit on title. Check your records now, especially for inherited land and land held while you live abroad.
Treating a title dispute as a record error
If the real problem is that someone else claims ownership, a tribunal case alone will not resolve it. The High Court Division has confirmed that the tribunal cannot decide title or possession. A corrected khatian helps, but it does not bind a rival claimant in a civil suit. Where ownership is contested, a declaratory suit, sometimes with an injunction, may need to run alongside or instead of the tribunal case. Deciding this early avoids winning a correction and still losing the land.
Leaving out necessary parties
Every person recorded in the disputed entry, and anyone whose share would change if the record is corrected, should normally be joined. Where a recorded person has died, identify and join the heirs before filing. Omitted parties can delay the case through substitution applications, or leave the decree open to later challenge. In Chattogram, where family holdings may have dozens of co-sharers, a careful family tree is part of the pleadings, not an afterthought.
Using informal "fixers" at land offices
Owners sometimes pay intermediaries who promise a quick correction through informal channels. Apart from the cost, entries obtained irregularly are vulnerable to cancellation and can expose the owner to allegations under the Land Crimes Prevention and Remedy Act 2023. Use the formal application route, keep receipts, and insist on a written order. If an office is unresponsive, there are lawful ways to escalate.
Correcting the khatian but not the mutation and tax records
A tribunal decree or AC Land order is only the first step. The mutation record and the land development tax holding must also be updated, or the same mismatch will reappear when you try to sell, mortgage or develop the land. Plan the follow-up at the start: who will apply for mutation, which office holds the tax record, and which certified copies the buyer's lawyer or bank will need.
Probashi owners and foreign investors
Absent owners are disproportionately affected by record errors. A survey that takes place while the owner is working in the Gulf or the UK may record the land in a relative's or occupier's name, and the error is often discovered only when the owner tries to sell. Probashis can run a correction from abroad through an authenticated power of attorney and a lawyer in Chattogram; see our NRB property lawyers.
Foreign investors acquiring land for factories, warehouses or projects around Chattogram should treat the record of rights as a core part of due diligence. Our title verification lawyers check the full survey chain before purchase. TRW & Co's offices in Dhaka, Singapore, Dubai and London coordinate with clients and their financiers abroad.
How TRW & Co helps
Our Chattogram office at Room 4022, Annex 2, District and Sessions Judge Court Building, Court Hill (Porir Pahar), Kotwali, Chattogram 4000, handles record corrections across the city and the district's upazilas.
Record audit
We obtain certified CS, SA, RS and BS khatians and maps, compare them with your deeds, and identify exactly where and when the error arose.
AC Land corrections
For clerical and other correctable errors, we prepare and file the application with the supporting documents and follow it through to a written order.
Land Survey Tribunal cases
Our advocates draft, file and argue tribunal suits and appeals, with survey map evidence and affidavits prepared to the standard the courts expect.
Parallel title proceedings
Where ownership is contested, we run declaratory, possession or partition suits in the civil courts alongside the correction case.
Digital survey monitoring
We watch draft publication for your mouzas and lodge objections early, when correction is cheapest.
Follow-through
After a decree or order, we complete mutation and update the tax holding so the corrected record works for sale, mortgage or development.
For related matters, see our property lawyers and possession recovery team.
Checklist for landowners
- Search every dag on DLRMS and compare names, shares and area with your deeds.
- Establish the final publication date of the latest survey for your mouza.
- Order certified copies of all survey khatians and maps in the chain.
- Classify the error: clerical, record error or title dispute.
- Identify every recorded person and their heirs before filing.
- Watch for digital survey draft publication in the city and object in time.
- After correction, update mutation and land development tax records.
To speak to a khatian correction lawyer in Chittagong, contact our Chattogram office at info@trw.co or +880 1779 127165, or see all our practice areas.
Frequently asked questions
01How do I correct a wrong name in my khatian?
A misspelled name, wrong father's name or similar clerical slip can usually be corrected by application to the AC Land of the circle or upazila, supported by documents such as national ID, deeds and earlier records. A 2021 Ministry of Land circular directs AC Land offices to make such corrections. Where the error goes further, such as a different person recorded as owner, a Land Survey Tribunal case or civil suit may be needed.
02What is the time limit for a Land Survey Tribunal case?
Under section 145A of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950, a suit must be filed within one year of final publication of the record, or of the tribunal's establishment if later. The tribunal may admit a suit within a further year if satisfied with the reasons for delay. After that, the tribunal route is effectively closed and the remaining remedy is usually a civil suit on title.
03Can the Land Survey Tribunal decide who owns the land?
No. The High Court Division held in Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024 that Land Survey Tribunals are not civil courts and have no jurisdiction over title or possession. They decide whether the latest record is erroneous and direct its correction. If ownership itself is disputed, a declaratory suit in the civil court is needed, sometimes in parallel with the tribunal case.
04Which record is the baseline for correcting a BS khatian?
The High Court Division has treated the SA khatian as the baseline against which a later BS entry should be traced, and said that an entry which cannot be traced back to it may be declared erroneous. In practice, the strongest cases show an unbroken documentary chain from the SA record to the applicant through deeds, inheritance, decrees and mutation.
05Can I appeal a Land Survey Tribunal decision?
Yes. Section 145B provides for appeals to the Land Survey Appellate Tribunal within three months of the judgment or order, extendable by a further three months for sufficient cause. For years no Appellate Tribunal operated, but the State Acquisition and Tenancy (Amendment) Act 2023 allowed District Judges to preside, and appellate tribunals now function. Writ petitions are generally not maintainable where that appeal is available.
06I live abroad. Can I correct my khatian without coming to Chattogram?
In most cases, yes. Certified records can be obtained, applications filed and tribunal cases conducted through a lawyer and, where needed, a person holding an authenticated power of attorney. Evidence in these cases is largely documentary and by affidavit, which suits clients abroad. You may need to sign affidavits at a Bangladesh mission or during a visit, which we plan in advance.
07Does the digital survey affect my Chattogram land?
If your land is in the Chattogram City Corporation area or another first-phase area, yes. The Bangladesh Digital Survey began in Chattogram in August 2023 and will produce new maps and records. Watch for draft publication and object to errors at the survey stages, which is cheaper and faster than correcting a finally published record through the tribunal.
Sources and official materials
- State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 — Record of rights, section 143 and Land Survey Tribunals
- State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950, section 145A — Land Survey Tribunal jurisdiction and limitation
- State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950, section 145B — Land Survey Appellate Tribunal and appeal periods
- Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024 (High Court Division, 20 July 2025) — Tribunal not a civil court; no title jurisdiction; SA baseline
- Ministry of Land circular on record of rights corrections (Bangladesh Gazette, August 2021) — AC Land correction of clerical mistakes and fraudulent entries
- Digital Land Record Management System — Official khatian search and certified copies
- Ministry of Land — Land services, circulars and citizen charters
General information only, current as at 2 November 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create an advocate–client relationship. It reflects the law of Bangladesh unless stated otherwise, and the law, court practice and official fees change frequently. Check current official sources and take advice on the facts of your matter.
