Revenue authorities must promptly update land records to reflect civil court decrees without imposing unnecessary procedural requirements, ensuring compliance with statutory mandates of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act.

ORDER :

(PER: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM)

Captioned petition is filed seeking to set aside the endorsement dated 19.08.2024 issued by respondent No.3/Tahsildar bearing No.RRT(2) C R : 219/24-25 and also for the issuance of a mandamus to respondent No.3/Tahsildar to consider their representation dated 02/07/2024 and effect change of khata in terms of the compromise decree passed on O.S.No.40/2023.

2. Petitioner No.1 filed a suit for partition and separate possession in O.S.No.40/2023 against petitioner Nos.2 to 5 and others. The matter was compromised and a final decree dated 09/12/2023 was passed in terms of the compromise (Annexure-B).

3. Petitioners approached respondent No.3 with a representation seeking change of khata as per the compromise decree (Annexure-C).

4. Respondent No.3/Tahsildar gave endorsement dated 19.08.2024 directing the petitioners to produce a 11-E sketch in order to effect change of khata. In the endorsement it is specified that that Kaveri-II portal only permits for change of khata with the production of a 11-E sketch.

5. In consequence, the Tahsildar issued an endorsement dated 19.08.2024 calling upon the petitioners to produce an 11-E sketch to enable further processing of the mutation.

6. Section 128 of the KARNATAKA LAND REVENUE ACT , 1964 obligates every person acquiring a right in land by succession, partition, purchase, mortgage, lease, gift, or otherwise to report such acquisition to the prescribed officer so that appropriate entries may be made in the record of rights. The legislative intent underlying Section 128 is to ensure that revenue records reflect the true and existing ownership in conformity with law.

7. Section 135 of the Act bars civil suits against the State or its officers for entering or omitting entries in revenue registers, but simultaneously provides that where a person’s right is declared by a Civil Court, the revenue entries must be amended in accordance with that declaration. Thus, once a decree attains finality, the revenue authorities are bound to give effect to it by carrying out necessary mutations.

8. In view of the above provisions, a final decree for partition particularly one drawn on compromise constitutes a lawful and binding acquisition of rights “otherwise” within the meaning of Section 128 . The revenue machinery cannot disregard or postpone implementation of such decrees on purely technical grounds.

9. Whereas Kaveri 2.0 is the State’s online platform for the electronic registration and document management of immovable property under the Department of Stamps and Registration, and whereas the Bhoomi and allied revenue systems under the Revenue Department are responsible for maintaining the Record of Rights, and related mutation records, it has been observed that there is presently no dedicated provision or workflow in Kaveri 2.0 to process or transmit civil Court decrees including preliminary decrees, final decrees in partition suits, or compromise decrees for the purpose of effecting mutation in the revenue records.

10. This structural omission has the practical effect of diminishing the authority and efficacy of judicial determinations rendered by competent Civil Courts. Civil decrees are binding and conclusive as to the rights of the parties and operate as final adjudication of title and possession in respect of immovable prop