TRW & Co · Land and property
CS, SA, RS, BS and City Survey Khatians Explained
The CS SA RS BS khatian difference is about which land survey produced the record: the British-era Cadastral Survey, the State Acquisition record after 1950, the later Revisional Survey and the Bangladesh Survey. This guide explains what each shows, which record officials and courts start from, and how Chattogram buyers and heirs trace a chain of title across them.
Key pointThe newest khatian is where officials start, but the older ones decide disputes: the High Court Division has directed that the SA khatian be treated as the baseline for testing BS entries, so certified SA and RS copies are worth obtaining before you need them.
At a glance
Four main survey records
CS (British-period cadastral), SA (after the 1950 Act), RS (revisional) and BS (Bangladesh Survey) records may all exist for the same Chattogram plot.
Khatian is not title
The High Court Division confirmed in 2025 that a record of rights is not a deed of title; it raises a rebuttable presumption about possession only.
SA as the baseline
In testing BS entries, the court directed that the SA khatian be accepted as the baseline, so older records decide many disputes over the newest one.
Mutation updates the record
Between surveys, the AC Land opens mutation khatians on sale, gift, inheritance or decree; these are needed to pay land development tax.
Digital survey in Chattogram
The Bangladesh Digital Survey began from Chattogram in August 2023, with its first phase covering Chattogram City Corporation among other areas.
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The short answer
The CS SA RS BS khatian difference comes down to which survey produced the record and when. The CS (Cadastral Survey) khatian is the oldest, from the British period; the SA (State Acquisition) khatian was prepared after zamindari was abolished under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950; the RS (Revisional Survey) khatian revised those records later; and the BS (Bangladesh Survey) khatian is the most recent completed survey in most of Chattogram.
No khatian is a title deed. Each is a record of rights that carries a presumption, and the latest finally published record is normally the one officials and courts start from. But disputes over the latest record are tested against the earlier ones, which is why a buyer or heir in Chattogram needs the whole chain, not just the newest page.
What a khatian is, and what it is not
A khatian (also called porcha or record of rights) lists, for one mouza, the holders of land, their shares, the dag (plot) numbers, the class of land and the area. Survey khatians are prepared during a land survey under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950. Mutation khatians are opened later by the Assistant Commissioner (Land) when land changes hands between surveys.
The High Court Division put the limit plainly in Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024, decided on 20 July 2025: a khatian or record of rights is not a deed of title. It raises a presumption about possession, but that presumption can be displaced by evidence. Title comes from deeds, inheritance and decrees; the khatian records what the survey or the land office found.
The CS SA RS BS khatian difference at a glance
The table summarises each record you are likely to meet for Chattogram land. Dates are given only where they are well documented; each survey ran at different times in different districts.
| Record | Origin | What it tells you | How it is used now |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS (Cadastral Survey) | British-period survey; according to the Land Minister at the 2023 Chattogram launch, piloted in Ramu (Cox's Bazar) in 1888 and begun in Chattogram in 1890 | The original mapped holdings and tenancies in each mouza | Root of title research; explains how old family holdings began |
| SA (State Acquisition) | Prepared under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 after the abolition of zamindari | Who held land directly under the state once intermediary interests were acquired | A key link in the chain; the High Court Division has described it as the baseline for testing later BS entries |
| RS (Revisional Survey) | A later revision of the records under the 1950 Act, carried out district by district | Updated holders, shares and plot boundaries | Often the bridge between SA and BS; still the operative record where no later survey is final |
| BS / BRS (Bangladesh Survey) | Post-independence survey, computer-printed in many areas | The most recent completed survey record for most Chattogram mouzas | Starting point for current transactions; errors are corrected through the Land Survey Tribunal |
| Mutation khatian | Opened by the AC Land on namjari | Current holder after a sale, gift, inheritance or decree | Needed to pay land development tax and to sell or mortgage |
| BDS (Bangladesh Digital Survey) | Digital survey launched from Chattogram in August 2023 | Geo-referenced maps and records | First phase covers Chattogram City Corporation among other areas; watch for draft publication |
Two other terms come up. A diara survey records land that has formed or changed along rivers, which can matter for char and riverside land on the Karnaphuli and Sangu. And owners sometimes hear of a "City Survey" record, a term associated with Dhaka's metropolitan survey; for Chattogram city, the operative records are generally the BS khatian and, once finalised, the digital survey.
Which record prevails when they conflict?
Understanding the CS SA RS BS khatian difference matters most when the records disagree. Three rules of thumb, drawn from the statute and the case law, help.
- The latest final record is the starting point. Officials, banks and sub-registry offices generally work from the most recent finally published survey record, updated by any mutation khatian.
- Earlier records are the test. In Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024, the High Court Division directed that the SA khatian be accepted as the baseline against which BS entries are checked. A BS entry that cannot be traced back through the chain is vulnerable.
- Title beats record. A registered deed, an inheritance or a decree can prove ownership even where a khatian says otherwise. The record is then corrected, through the Land Survey Tribunal for final survey records or through the AC Land for mutation records.
The same judgment also drew a line around the Land Survey Tribunal's role: it corrects errors and omissions in the survey record but does not decide title or possession, which belong to the civil courts. For a step-by-step view of that forum, see our guide to the Land Survey Tribunal.
Order certified copies of every survey record for your land, not only the BS khatian. If a dispute arises, the SA and RS records are the evidence that shows whether the BS entry can be traced. Certified copies cost little through the Ministry of Land's portal and are far harder to obtain in a hurry once a case has started.
How to trace a chain of title across surveys
A clean chain shows each holder from the earliest relevant record to the seller or deceased owner, with a deed, inheritance or decree explaining each change. Using the CS SA RS BS khatian difference as a map, the work runs like this.
- Start with the deed. Take the mouza, JL number, dag numbers and khatian numbers recited in the seller's deed or the family's papers.
- Pull the current record. Search the BS khatian and any mutation khatian on DLRMS by khatian or dag number, and note the holders and shares.
- Go back one survey at a time. Search the RS, then the SA and, where relevant, the CS records for the same land. Dag numbers change between surveys, so use the mouza map to match plots.
- Match each change to a document. For every change in the holder between surveys, identify the deed, inheritance or decree that explains it, and obtain certified copies of those deeds from the sub-registry or record room.
- Check the area. Add up the shares sold or inherited at each stage. Sales of more than the seller held are a common cause of later disputes in Chattogram's densely subdivided mouzas.
- Check government interests. Look for khas, vested, acquired or railway land entries in any survey, and for remarks about disputes.
- Record your findings. Prepare a chain table listing each record and document, and keep certified copies together. A lawyer reviewing title will start from it.
Online copies with a QR code and certified copies can both be ordered through the portal. The Ministry of Land's published fee schedule lists the current charges for khatian copies and mouza maps. Our guides on how to check a khatian online and verifying land documents cover the searches in more detail.
Why BS records matter for Chattogram flats and plots
Most apartment buildings in Chattogram city stand on land recorded in the BS khatian in the original landowners' names. When a developer builds under a joint venture, the flat buyer acquires a flat plus an undivided share of that land. The CS SA RS BS khatian difference therefore matters to flat buyers too: if the land's BS record is wrong, or the chain behind it is broken, every flat in the building shares the problem.
Flat buyers
Check the BS khatian and mutation records for the land, the landowner-developer agreement, and whether the land share in your deed is mutated after registration.
CDA plot holders
Leasehold plots in CDA residential areas have an authority file as well as the land record. Both should show the same holder before you sell.
Heirs
Where the BS record is still in a deceased owner's name, a single mutation listing all heirs is now the norm. Partition can follow by deed or suit.
Buyers of older family land
Rural and peri-urban land in Patiya, Hathazari or Boalkhali often has long co-sharer lists. Tracing the chain back to SA is the only reliable way to confirm shares.
Our flat purchase lawyers in Chattogram and title verification team review these records before contracts are signed.
An illustrative scenario
Illustrative only; no real parties. Three siblings inherit a plot in a mouza on the edge of Chattogram city. Their father's deed recites RS and BS dag numbers. When they apply for mutation, a neighbour objects, pointing to a BS khatian that shows part of the plot in his family's name.
Their lawyer orders certified copies of the SA and RS records and the mouza maps. The SA and RS records show the whole plot in the siblings' grandfather's name, and the father's deed traces cleanly from him. The neighbour's BS entry cannot be traced to any deed. The siblings' lawyer advises them that the error lies in the BS record itself, so correction is a matter for the Land Survey Tribunal, while the mutation proceeds for the undisputed area.
The example shows the practical value of the CS SA RS BS khatian difference: the older records are the evidence that makes the newer one correctable.
Risks and common mistakes
Relying only on the latest khatian
Buyers often accept a single BS khatian or a recent mutation khatian as proof that the seller owns the land. It is good evidence of the current record but not proof of title, and it says nothing about how the seller came to be recorded. Without the earlier records and the deeds that link them, you cannot see a forged link, an over-sale or a co-sharer who never sold. Always trace back at least to the SA record, and further where the family history is complex.
Matching dags by number alone
Dag numbers change from survey to survey. Dag 512 in the RS record may be dag 1,140 in the BS record, and one old dag may be split into several new ones. Matching by number alone leads to searches of the wrong land. Use the mouza maps for each survey and match plots by location and boundaries, then confirm the area.
Missing time limits for correcting the record
Errors in a finally published survey record are corrected through the Land Survey Tribunal, and the law sets strict time limits running from final publication. Owners who wait until a sale or a dispute to notice an error may find the straightforward route closed and need a civil suit instead. Check the record as soon as a survey is published, especially with the digital survey now under way in Chattogram.
Treating the mutation khatian as the end of the story
A mutation khatian shows who the AC Land has recorded after a transfer. It is essential for paying land development tax and for later transactions, but it is not a judgment on title. If the underlying deed is defective, the mutation does not cure it. Pair every mutation khatian with the deed and the earlier survey records.
For NRB owners and heirs abroad
Many Chattogram families hold land through relatives living in the Gulf, the UK, Malaysia or North America. For them the CS SA RS BS khatian difference is not academic: an heir abroad who cannot show how the land passed from the SA holder to the present record is the easiest person for a relative or a land grabber to exclude.
Records can be searched and certified copies ordered online from abroad, and a trusted representative can collect them. Where documents must be signed, a power of attorney executed abroad and properly authenticated allows a lawyer or relative in Chattogram to apply for mutation, object to a wrong record or start proceedings. Our NRB property lawyers in Chattogram handle these instructions, and the firm's offices in Dubai, Singapore and London can help clients sign and send documents.
An overseas owner should also check the record each time a new survey is published locally. Explaining the CS SA RS BS khatian difference to family members at home, and agreeing who will watch for draft publication, avoids the common situation in which an error becomes final while everyone assumed someone else was dealing with it.
What to do next
- List the mouza, JL number, dag and khatian numbers from your deed or family papers.
- Search and save the BS and mutation khatians, then the RS, SA and, where relevant, CS records.
- Order certified copies of each record and the mouza maps for each survey, so that the CS SA RS BS khatian difference can be checked dag by dag.
- Match every change of holder to a deed, inheritance or decree, and note any gaps.
- Check for khas, vested, acquired or disputed entries in any record.
- If a record is wrong, take advice promptly on whether the AC Land, the Land Survey Tribunal or the civil court is the right forum.
TRW & Co's land lawyers in Chattogram and khatian correction lawyers trace title across surveys, correct records and represent owners before the Land Survey Tribunal and civil courts. For a review of your records, contact us at info@trw.co or +880 1779 127165, or visit our Chattogram office at Room 4022, Annex 2, District and Sessions Judge Court Building, Court Hill (Porir Pahar), Kotwali, Chattogram 4000.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the difference between CS, SA, RS and BS khatians?
They come from different land surveys. The CS khatian is the British-period cadastral record; the SA khatian was prepared after zamindari was abolished under the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950; the RS khatian revised those records later; and the BS khatian is the latest completed Bangladesh Survey record in most of Chattogram. Each lists holders, shares, dags and areas for a mouza at the time of that survey.
02Which khatian is valid now in Chattogram?
For most mouzas, the BS khatian, updated by any later mutation khatian, is the current record that officials, banks and sub-registry offices work from. The earlier records remain relevant because disputes are tested against them. In the city, the Bangladesh Digital Survey is also under way, so owners should watch for draft records and object to errors at that stage.
03If the SA and BS khatians conflict, which one prevails?
Neither proves title on its own. The finally published BS record carries a presumption, but it can be shown to be wrong. In Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024, the High Court Division directed that the SA khatian be accepted as the baseline for checking BS entries. Errors in a final survey record are corrected through the Land Survey Tribunal; ownership disputes belong in the civil courts.
04Is a khatian proof of ownership?
No. A khatian is a record of rights, not a deed of title. It is important evidence and is needed for mutation, land development tax and most transactions, but ownership is proved by registered deeds, inheritance and court decrees. A careful buyer checks both the deeds and the khatians, and makes sure they tell the same story across each survey.
05How do I get certified copies of old CS or SA khatians?
Search the record on the Ministry of Land's Digital Land Record Management System by district, survey type, mouza and khatian or dag number, then apply online for an online copy or a certified copy, paying the fee through the portal. Certified copies can be collected or sent by post. Where an old record is not online, the district record room is the usual source.
06What is a City Survey khatian?
The term is associated with the metropolitan survey of Dhaka. For land in Chattogram city, the operative records are generally the BS khatian and any mutation khatian, with the Bangladesh Digital Survey now being carried out. If a document you have been given refers to a "City Survey" for Chattogram land, check exactly which record it means before relying on it.
Sources and official materials
- Digital Land Record Management System (Ministry of Land) — Search and copies of survey and mutation khatians
- Ministry of Land: fixed fees for land services — Official fees for khatian copies and mouza maps
- State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 — Preparation and revision of the record of rights
- High Court Division, Civil Revision No. 6034 of 2024 (20 July 2025) — Khatian is not title; SA khatian as baseline for BS entries
- bdnews24: Bangladesh Digital Survey launched from Chattogram (August 2023) — CS survey history and BDS first-phase coverage
- Prothom Alo: digital survey begins in Chattogram — Launch of the Bangladesh Digital Survey
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.
