Poor land records are both a cause and a result of land disputes in India. Critically analyse, and suggest reforms.

India's land records are the record of rights, the jamabandi and cadastral maps. They are only presumptive evidence of title: they do not guarantee ownership. By January 2026, 99.8% of records of rights had been computerised under DILRMP [1]. Disputes still persist because bad records and disputes feed each other.

Poor records as a cause of disputes

• Outdated surveys: surveys are incomplete, and text records are not linked to maps [1]. This leads to boundary and ownership conflicts.
• Mutation lag: records are not updated after a sale or an acquisition. In Patna, land taken in 1976 for a drain stayed in the owner's jamabandi and was unpaid for about 50 years [2].
• Arbitrary reclassification: in 2023 a Collector declared the same land Gair-mazarua Aam (public land) while an appeal was still pending. The Patna HC quashed the order as "without jurisdiction" [2].

Disputes as a cause of poor records

• Litigation freezes updating: the revenue appeal ran from 2012-13 to 2023 [2]. Revenue courts are still not computerised [1].
• The state as defaulting litigant: some bodies leave entries unchanged to avoid paying compensation. The SC has held that compensation is read into Art. 300A and that delay does not bar a claim [3]. In Vidya Devi (2020) it rejected the state's plea of adverse possession [4].

Critical assessment

• The cycle does not explain everything. Inheritance splits, fragmented holdings and customary tenure also cause disputes. Sixth Schedule areas need a separate strategy [1].
• Digitisation copies old errors. Modern record rooms are the least-finished part of the programme, at 72.5% [1].

Reforms

• Finish re-surveys and link maps to text records. Extend auto-mutation on registration, now in 17 states, to the whole country [1].
• Computerise revenue courts and set deadlines for deciding mutation cases [1].
• Send Aadhaar/mobile-linked alerts to owners whenever their entries change [1].
• Bar reclassification of land while an appeal is pending. Settle unpaid acquisitions under the 2013 Act before they reach court [2][3].
• Move in phases from presumptive to conclusive titling.

Accurate records and quick dispute settlement have to be built together. Digitisation, re-surveys and accountable revenue administration can turn land into a secure asset. That would protect Art. 300A and support SDG 1.4 on secure land rights.