Revenue Officers — Hierarchy and Powers

4.1 Village-Level Officers

Patwari (Village Accountant): The fundamental field functionary:

• Jurisdiction: typically 4–8 villages (a "Halka")
• Maintains all primary land records (Khasra, Khata, Jamabandi)
• Conducts seasonal crop surveys (Rabi: winter; Kharif: summer)
• Reports encroachments, natural disasters, irrigation changes
• Submits mutation applications to Kanungo/Tehsildar

Girdawar/Kanungo (Revenue Inspector): Supervisory role over 10–15 Patwaris:

• Inspects Patwari records, certifies Jamabandi
• Investigates land disputes before they reach Tehsildar
• Countersigns Patwari reports and mutation applications
• Conducts random sample surveys to check Patwari accuracy

4.2 Tehsildar — The Pivotal Revenue Officer

The Tehsildar is the most important operational officer under the 1956 Act:

• Revenue Court jurisdiction: Adjudicates rent disputes, mutations, ejectment applications
• Administrative powers: Supervises Patwaris, certifies land records, issues income/caste certificates
• Recovery powers: Can issue revenue recovery warrants for land revenue arrears
• Demarcation authority: Conducts field boundary surveys on disputes
• Registration linkage: Coordinates with Sub-Registrar for property registration

4.3 Collector — District Revenue Head

The Collector is the supreme revenue authority at district level:

• Administrative: Heads all revenue officers in the district
• Judicial: Revenue Court with jurisdiction over appeals from Tehsildar
• Land acquisition: Presides over land acquisition proceedings under LARR Act 2013
• Revenue recovery: Ultimate district authority for land revenue recovery
• Natural disaster: Recommends revenue remissions in drought/flood situations

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