Land records now downloadable, legally valid in all offices

Terming it a landmark decision, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the purpose of this decision was to provide transparent, quick, and legally valid services to farmers and citizens without their having to visit government offices

MUMBAI: In yet another significant reform, the Maharashtra government has granted full legal validity to digital 7/12 extracts (property cards) and mutation certificates among other vital land records. The digital documents, which will be accepted at all government offices and will not require an official’s signature, can be downloaded from the government website https://mahabhumi.gov.in by paying a nominal fee of ₹15. A circular to this effect was issued by the state revenue department on Thursday.

Land records now downloadable, legally valid in all offices

Terming it a landmark decision, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the purpose of this decision was to provide transparent, quick, and legally valid services to farmers and citizens without their having to visit government offices. “There were complaints about unnecessary delays in issuing land records,” he said. “By removing dependency on manual signatures and stamps, we are ending decades-old harassment, delays and corruption at the grassroots level.”

The minister added that farmers and landowners would no longer have to stand in queues or pay middlemen to get land records. “A transparent, affordable and instant solution is now available 24×7 at their fingertips. This is our commitment to transparency, speed, and ease of business,” he emphasised.

The property card or 7/12 land extract can be obtained from the Bhulekh Mahabhumi portal run by the state revenue department. Every digital extract will be secured with an authenticated digital signature, a scannable QR code and a unique 16-digit verification number. “We have reduced the scope for tampering and forgery to zero by introducing these advanced digital security features,” said a senior revenue official. “The digitally signed records will enjoy 100% legal acceptance in all government and semi-government departments, banks, courts, registration offices and any other authority.”

The official added that the acceptance for all such records had been made universal and no office could refuse a digitally signed extract from now on. “As per Section 5 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, these computerised records will be treated as authenticated copies of the original document,” he said. “Therefore, signatures from talathis or any other officers will also not be required.”