Telangana May Add Gazette Proof to 22-A Refusal Memos is the kind of small procedural change that can make a big difference for land buyers, sellers, advocates and SRO staff. The issue is simple: when a sub-registrar refuses registration because a property is shown under Section 22-A, should the refusal memo clearly mention the exact gazette notification, government order, survey number entry, or authority letter behind that block?
In our view, yes. Telangana has 30,76,153 prohibited-property records as per latest IGRS data. With such a large base of entries, a refusal memo that merely says “22-A” does not help a buyer in Serilingampally, Rajendranagar, Gandipet, Hayathnagar, Kukatpally or Patancheru understand whether the block is correct, outdated, wrongly mapped, or linked to another survey subdivision.
Telangana May Add Gazette Proof to 22-A Refusal Memos: What is being discussed?
The proposed idea is to make refusal memos more evidence-based. Instead of a short rejection stating that the property falls under Section 22-A, the memo may have to cite the source behind the prohibited status. That source could be a gazette notification, a government order, a communication from the revenue department, an endowment record, waqf record, assigned land list, court-related entry, or another legally recognised document.
For buyers, this is not a technical nicety. It affects real money and real timelines. We have seen transactions in Kokapet, Narsingi, Mokila, Tellapur, Shamshabad and Adibatla where the buyer paid token advance, arranged loan papers, checked EC, and reached the SRO only to be stopped by a 22-A flag. The next question is always the same: “On what basis is it blocked?”
At present, many buyers have to run between the SRO, mandal revenue office, Dharani records, tahsildar office and sometimes district-level offices to understand the origin of the entry. If the refusal memo itself carries the gazette or GO reference, the buyer gets a proper starting point for verification or challenge.
A 22-A refusal should not be a dead-end slip. It should tell the citizen which government record is being relied upon. That is basic fairness in property registration.
Why Telangana May Add Gazette Proof to 22-A Refusal Memos now
Section 22-A entries are meant to prevent registration of prohibited properties. These can include government lands, assigned lands, endowment lands, waqf lands, ceiling surplus lands, lands under certain disputes, and other categories notified by competent authorities. The protection is needed. Nobody wants government or charitable land to be sold through private sale deeds.
But there is another side. In fast-growing Hyderabad corridors, survey numbers are split, layouts are formed, old pahani entries differ from present Dharani entries, village maps get reworked, and SRO jurisdiction boundaries are not always understood by buyers. A flat purchaser in Bachupally may be dealing with a very different risk compared to an agricultural land buyer in Shankarpally mandal or a villa plot buyer near Moinabad.
That is why the source citation matters. If a refusal memo says that Survey No. X in a particular village is blocked under a named gazette or government order, the buyer can compare the memo against pahani, Dharani, village map, EC, market value record and title deeds. Without that citation, the citizen is left guessing.
What a better 22-A refusal memo should contain
A useful refusal memo should not become a long legal order. But it must contain enough particulars for the buyer or seller to act. In our experience, these details can reduce unnecessary office visits and repeated applications:
- Village name, mandal, district and SRO jurisdiction
- Exact survey number, sub-division number, plot number or door number, wherever applicable
- Nature of 22-A category, such as government land, assigned land, endowment, waqf or other notified class
- Gazette notification number, government order number, authority letter or department communication relied upon
- Date of the source document, if available in the registration record
- Name of the authority that requested or notified the prohibition
- Basic route for clarification, correction or appeal
This will also help genuine SRO officers. When citizens see the legal source, arguments at the registration counter reduce. The dispute moves to the right forum: revenue, endowments, waqf, court, or registration appeal authority, depending on the case.
How buyers should check a 22-A block before paying advance
Before paying a major advance, buyers should run a layered check. Do not depend only on the seller’s photocopies or a broker’s word. For land deals in places like Shamirpet, Maheshwaram, Kandukur, Chevella, Ibrahimpatnam and Ghatkesar, the same survey number history can look different across old pahani, Dharani and registration records.
Start with the Section 22-A Prohibited Property Check. Then confirm the exact survey number through the Survey Number Finder. If the property is urban or semi-urban, identify the correct registration office using Find Your SRO Office.
After that, check past transactions through the Encumbrance Certificate Search and compare the official market value using Market Value / Guideline Value Search. For a deeper pre-purchase review, use the Property Verification Tool. These checks will not replace legal advice, but they catch many basic red flags early.
Why the 30,76,153 prohibited-property records matter
Telangana’s prohibited-property database is not small. With 30,76,153 records, even a tiny mismatch in survey number, village name, old mandal reference or sub-division can affect thousands of transactions over time. Buyers in Hyderabad outskirts feel this more because land conversion, plotting and re-sale activity is high.
Consider a common situation. A seller shows a clear EC and says the land was registered earlier. The buyer checks the current SRO portal and finds a 22-A block. Both can be true in a practical sense: the earlier transaction may have happened before a later notification, or the block may have been added after a department communication, or the current entry may need correction. The refusal memo must tell the buyer which situation applies.
| Current pain point | Why gazette or GO proof helps |
|---|---|
| Memo only mentions Section 22-A | Buyer gets no clear source to verify or contest |
| Survey number confusion | Source document can show whether the exact sub-division is covered |
| Old revenue entries differ from Dharani | Gazette or GO date helps compare historical records |
| Repeated visits to SRO and mandal office | Citizen knows which authority created the block |
| Loan or sale deadline pressure | Parties can take a quicker call on cancellation, correction or appeal |
What sellers and developers should do
Sellers should not wait for the registration day to discover a prohibited-property flag. If you are selling land in Mokila, Kollur, Gachibowli, Gandipet, Tukkuguda or Medchal side, check the 22-A status before advertising. If there is a block, collect the underlying record first. A vague statement like “it will be cleared” is not enough for serious buyers.
Developers should be even more careful. For plotted layouts and villa projects, one doubtful survey number can affect customer confidence across the project. Buyers now ask for Dharani extracts, link documents, layout approvals, RERA details where applicable, EC and 22-A status. A clean title presentation is no longer a luxury; it is expected.
Flat buyers should also be alert. In apartment deals, the undivided share traces back to the parent land. If the parent land has a government, endowment, waqf, assigned land or other 22-A issue, the flat buyer may face financing and resale trouble later. Use the RERA Project Lookup for registered projects, but remember that RERA registration does not automatically cure a land title defect.
Our view: refusal memos need speaking details, not one-line rejections
We have no problem with genuine 22-A blocks. They protect public land and prevent illegal transfers. But the registration system must be transparent when it refuses a citizen’s document. A refusal memo with gazette proof or GO reference gives both sides a fair record: the SRO shows the legal basis, and the citizen gets a path to verify, correct or challenge.
This is especially relevant in Telangana because property records sit across multiple systems: old revenue records, Dharani, registration department data, court orders, departmental lists and local body approvals. A buyer cannot be expected to guess which one triggered the refusal.
If implemented properly, this change can reduce confusion at SRO counters and improve trust in the prohibited-property database. It will not solve every title dispute. But it will make the first rejection clearer, and in property matters, clarity itself saves money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 22-A refusal memo in Telangana?
It is a written refusal issued by the sub-registrar when a property document cannot be registered because the property is shown under Section 22-A prohibited-property records.
Why should the refusal memo mention a gazette or government order?
Because the buyer or seller needs to know the exact legal source behind the block. Without that reference, it becomes difficult to verify whether the entry is correct or wrongly mapped.
How many prohibited-property records are there in Telangana?
As per latest IGRS data, Telangana has 30,76,153 prohibited-property records under Section 22-A.
Can a 22-A entry be challenged?
Yes, depending on the facts. The party may need to approach the relevant revenue, registration, endowment, waqf or judicial authority. A gazette or GO reference in the memo helps identify the correct route.
Should I check 22-A status before paying advance?
Yes. Check the survey number, SRO, EC, market value and prohibited-property status before paying a major advance, especially for land in Hyderabad outskirts and fast-growing mandals.
