SDM and Tehsildar Complaint — Certificates, Mutation and Land Records
Most tehsil complaints fail because they go to the wrong rung. The Patwari, the Tehsildar and the SDM decide different things, and the appeal only works if you know which.
- Who to contact first
- The Tehsildar for revenue records, mutation and most certificates; the Sub-Divisional Magistrate as the next rung up and the appellate authority for many of them.
- How to reach them
- A written application at the tehsil with an acknowledgement, plus your State grievance system so the same complaint carries a tracking number.
- How long to wait
- Where the service is notified under your State’s public services guarantee law, the stipulated period for that service — and an appeal lies to a designated officer if it passes.
- If they ignore you
- The District Collector, an RTI asking what action was taken and by whom, and the Lokayukta where money has been demanded.
Official source · last verified 2 September 2026 — Right to Information Act, 2005 — the lever this page relies on most. GetNyay is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any government department.
The single most useful thing you can do at a tehsil is convert a verbal refusal into a written, reasoned order. A verbal “it cannot be done” is unappealable, unprovable and costs the office nothing. A written order names a decision-maker, states a reason you can attack, and starts whatever appeal your State provides. If you are told no, ask for it in writing, and say in your application that you are asking for a speaking order. Most files that appear stuck are simply files nobody has been required to decide.
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All contact channels
Every channel below was read on an official page. Contact details change — the source for each is linked in the verification footer at the end of this page.
The escalation ladder, level by level
Work through these in order. Every forum above asks what you did below, and skipping a rung is the commonest reason a complaint is sent back.
- 1Patwari / village revenue officerWait As prescribed by the State
The Patwari or village revenue officer, for the record entry itself.
The khasra, khata or survey number, the village, and the entry you say is wrong or missing.
- 2TehsildarWait The stipulated period where the service is notified
The Tehsildar, for mutation, records and most certificates.
The application number and date, the service asked for, and a request for a written order rather than a verbal refusal.
- 3Sub-Divisional MagistrateWait As prescribed by the State
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate — the next rung, and the appellate authority for many services.
The Tehsildar’s order or the fact that none was passed, with dates.
- 4District Collector · District MagistrateWait Not fixed by a single statute
The District Collector.
The file number, the dates, and one specific direction sought.
- 5State LokayuktaWait As prescribed by the State Lokayukta Act
The State Lokayukta, where money has been demanded.
A specific allegation against a named official, with material.
How the process runs
- 1File with an acknowledgement
The application number and date are the only things that make later escalation possible. Do not leave the counter without them.
then: if the stipulated period passes - 2Ask for a written, reasoned order
A verbal refusal cannot be appealed. A speaking order can. Put the request in writing.
then: then appeal - 3Appeal to the SDM, or the designated appellate officer
Where your State has a public services guarantee law and the service is notified, the appeal is to the officer that Act designates.
then: if still nothing - 4District Collector, plus an RTI
One specific direction sought from the Collector, and an RTI asking what action was taken on the file and by whom.
then: where money was demanded - 5Lokayukta or the vigilance machinery
A demand for money is a different complaint from a delay, and goes to a different place.
What this system will not take up
Filing one of these wastes the whole period — it is closed on that ground alone.
- A title dispute between two private parties, which is for a civil court.
- Anything already pending before a court or a revenue tribunal.
- A municipal matter — property tax, building permission, civic services.
- Registration of a document itself, which is the Sub-Registrar’s function.
What to have ready before you complain
Assemble these first. A complaint that opens with the identifying numbers gets routed; one that opens with how long this has been going on gets a template reply.
- The application number and the date of filing, from the acknowledgement.
- The khasra, khata or survey number and the village, for a land matter.
- The registered sale deed or succession document, for a mutation.
- The written refusal, or a note of the date a verbal refusal was given.
- The name and designation of the official dealing with the file.
- A copy of the current record, showing the entry you want corrected.
Timelines at a glance
How long to wait at each stage, and where that period comes from.
| Stage | Window | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| A notified service | The stipulated period for that service | Most States have a Right to Public Service / Public Services Guarantee Act with designated first and second appellate officers |
| Appeal where the stipulated period passes | As prescribed by the State Act | The same State public services guarantee law |
| RTI reply | 30 days | Right to Information Act, 2005 |
| RTI first appeal | Within 30 days of the reply or the expiry of the period | Right to Information Act, 2005 |
Common complaints handled here
Who runs this, and who is above it
State revenue administration
There is no central statute behind the tehsil. Each State’s revenue law creates the Patwari, the Tehsildar and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, fixes what each may decide, and provides the appeals between them — which is why the periods, the forms and even the office names differ across States. What travels everywhere is the principle that a refusal should be a written, reasoned order, because only a written order can be appealed.
If they ignore you — where to go next
What each forum costs and what it needs before it will take your case.
The file number, the dates, and one specific direction sought.
Proof that the stipulated period for a notified service has passed.
A specific allegation of a demand for money against a named official.
Frequently asked questions
How do I complain against a Tehsildar?
First establish what is actually wrong — a decision or a delay. For a delay, escalate to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and then the District Collector, with the application number and date from your acknowledgement. For a refusal, ask for a written reasoned order first, because a verbal refusal cannot be appealed. If money was demanded, that is a corruption complaint and belongs with the State Lokayukta or the vigilance machinery, not the revenue hierarchy.
My mutation has not been done. What do I do?
Take the acknowledgement of the mutation application, the registered deed or succession document, and the current record showing the entry that has not changed. Apply in writing to the Tehsildar asking for a reasoned order on the application, and escalate to the SDM if the stipulated period under your State’s public services guarantee law passes. An RTI asking what action has been taken on the file, and by which official, often moves it faster than another reminder.
What is the difference between the Tehsildar and the SDM?
The Tehsildar heads the tehsil and handles revenue records, mutation and most certificates. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate sits above at the sub-division and is, for many services, the appellate authority over the Tehsildar as well as a magistrate in their own right. Which of them decides your particular matter comes from your State’s revenue law, so check your State rather than assuming.
My certificate application was rejected. Can I appeal?
Yes, if you have a written order. That is why the first thing to secure is a reasoned rejection rather than a verbal one — an appeal has to attack a decision, and there is nothing to attack in a conversation at a counter. Where your State has a Right to Public Service or Public Services Guarantee Act and the certificate is a notified service, that Act names the first and second appellate officers and the periods.
Is there a national helpline for tehsil complaints?
No, and this page publishes no number for that reason. Revenue administration is a State subject, tehsils exist per sub-division, and any single number would be wrong for almost every reader. Use your State grievance system or CM helpline, which routes to these same officers and gives you a registration number and a stated period that a paper application does not.
Someone at the tehsil asked me for money. Where does that complaint go?
Not up the revenue hierarchy — to the State Lokayukta, or the State anti-corruption or vigilance body. Treat it as a separate complaint from your pending application and keep the two apart, because a corruption allegation folded into a service grievance tends to get handled as neither. Name the official, the date, the amount demanded and what it was demanded for.
Letter and notice formats
Full sample letters you can adapt, or generate your own with your facts filled in — free.
Related escalation guides
Every contact detail on this page was read on an official page — primarily Right to Information Act, 2005 — the lever this page relies on most. Government contact details change without notice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will check it.
What we deliberately left blank (4)
- — Every tehsil and SDM phone number and address — per-subdivision, no national contact exists. Deliberately left empty.
- — Per-State revenue law: which officer decides what, the appellate forum and the limitation period.
- — Per-State public services guarantee Acts, the notified services and their stipulated periods.
- — State e-district portal addresses, which differ by State.