Section 22-A List Updates 2026: Removing Land Prohibitions

Real estate in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has entered a transformative phase in 2026. For years, Section 22-A of the Registration Act, 1908 acted as a “digital lock” on millions of acres, preventing genuine landowners from selling, gifting, or mortgaging their property.

However, following the landmark reforms of January and February 2026, the gates are finally opening. This guide provides the most current, verified roadmap for identifying prohibited land and the exact legal steps to remove your property from the restricted list.

What is Section 22-A?

Section 22-A empowers state governments to prohibit the registration of documents for certain land categories deemed “against public policy.” Once a survey number is listed here, the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) is legally barred from processing any transaction.

In 2026, the list is primarily divided into:

22-A(1)(a): Government-owned lands (Poramboke, Waqf, Endowment).
22-A(1)(b): Lands assigned to the landless poor with restrictions on sale.
22-A(1)(c): Properties belonging to religious or charitable institutions.
22-A(1)(e): Lands under dispute or specific government notification.

Breakthrough: The “New Year Gift” Revisions

The Andhra Pradesh government initiated a massive “clean-up” of the prohibited list. Five major categories of land were officially freed from restrictions:

Private Patta Lands: Survey numbers wrongly flagged as government land are being deleted suo motu (voluntarily by officials).
Ex-Servicemen & Freedom Fighter Allotments: Lands allotted to retired defense personnel and political victims can now be sold after a 10-year lock-in period.
Pre-1954 Assignments: Land assigned before June 18, 1954, is now treated as freehold.
Subdivision Relief: If only a small portion of a survey number is disputed, authorities are now mandated to subdivide the land, freeing the undisputed portion for registration.
Conditional Pattas: A dedicated Group of Ministers (GoM) is currently processing the final release of conditional and “dotted” lands.

How to Check Prohibited Status Online

For Telangana: The Bhu Bharati Portal

Telangana has moved beyond the Dharani system into the Bhu Bharati (2026) ecosystem.

Method: Visit bhubharati.telangana.gov.in.
Search by Bhudhaar: Enter your 11-digit Unique Land ID.
Status Check: Look for the “Prohibition Status” flag. If it shows “Temporary Bhudhaar,” the land might be undergoing geo-referencing or be under a pending dispute.

For Andhra Pradesh: IGRS & MeeSeva

Method: Use the AP IGRS portal or the MeeSeva 2.0 dashboard.
Market Value Search: If a property has “Zero Value” in the Basic Value Register, it is likely on the 22-A list.
22-A Search: Access the “Prohibited Property Search” and filter by District, Mandal, and Village.

Procedure to Remove Land from Section 22-A List

If your genuine patta land is wrongly listed, follow this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP):

Step 1: Document Gathering

The government now accepts any one of the following eight documents as sufficient proof for deletion. You no longer need a massive file:

10(1) Register / RSR (Resettlement Settlement Register)
SFA (Settlement Fair Adangal) Records
Old Assignment Registers
DKT Pattas or Record of Holdings (RoH)
Registered sale deeds prior to the prohibition notification.

Step 2: Filing the Application

Submit a “Modification of 22-A List” application via MeeSeva or the Bhu Bharati Citizen Portal.

Fee: Nominal user charges apply.
SLA: Under new guidelines, officials are expected to process these within 30 to 45 days.

Step 3: Verification Hierarchy

Your application moves through a three-tier verification process:

Tahsildar/MRO: Conducts field verification and checks the “Diglot” or “A-Register.”
Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO): Empowered to review and recommend deletions directly.
District Collector: The final authority who signs the order to delete the survey number from the SRO database.

Important Warnings for new Buyers

The “Part-Survey” Trap: Always check if a survey number has been subdivided. A whole survey number might be blocked even if only 5 cents of it is government land.
Water Bodies: In February 2026, the revenue minister clarified that lands containing water resources (ponds, canals) will never be removed from the prohibited list, even if held by ex-servicemen.
Fake Registrations: Use the IGRS Index Search to ensure that a property hasn’t been “double registered” during the 2024-2025 transition period.

Summary of Reforms

Feature	2024 Status	2026 Update
Private Patta	Often stuck in 22-A	Fully freed (Suo motu deletion)
Ex-Servicemen Land	Sale often blocked	Sale allowed after 10 years
Documentation	Multiple records required	A single record (e.g., 10(1)) is enough
Sub-division	Entire survey number blocked	Only disputed portion blocked
Technology	Basic Digitization	Blockchain & AI-driven verification

Conclusion

The 2026 updates to Section 22-A represent the most significant pro-farmer land reform in decades. By leveraging the Bhu Bharati portal and the newly simplified RDO-level verification, landowners can finally unlock the “dead capital” of their property.