Section 22-A: What It Means for Property Owners in Telangana

Section 22-A: What It Means for Property Owners in Telangana - By Rajasekhar Reddy Allipuram

For thousands of property owners across Telangana, the words “22-A Prohibited Property” have suddenly become a matter of serious concern. A property that was purchased years ago, supported by sale deeds and other records, may suddenly appear in the prohibited-properties database. The immediate questions from owners are understandable:



Can I sell my property? Can I mortgage it? Can I register it? Is my title still valid? Why has my property been included? And what can I do to get it removed?These questions need to be answered carefully because being shown in the Section 22-A prohibited list is not, by itself, the same thing as cancellation of ownership or acquisition of the property by the government.

What is Section 22-A?

Section 22-A of the Registration Act operates to prevent registration of specified transactions involving properties or classes of properties whose transfer is prohibited under the applicable legal framework.

The objective is to prevent the unauthorised transfer or registration of certain categories of land, including government and other protected properties covered by the relevant provisions.

Therefore, when a property is placed in the prohibited list, the practical consequence can be significant: the registering authority may refuse registration of a transaction that falls within the prohibition.

This is where the problem begins for a genuine property owner. The real problem for an ordinary property owner

Imagine a family that purchased a plot or house years ago.

They have:

- A registered sale deed

-Property-tax records

-Building permission, where applicable

-Development or planning approvals, where applicable

-Bank finance or an earlier registered mortgage

-Electricity and municipal records

-Years of possession

Now suppose the property is shown under a prohibited category. The owner may suddenly discover that a proposed sale or other transaction cannot proceed through normal registration. That creates a liquidity problem. A property can remain physically in the owner's possession while becoming extremely difficult to transact.

1. Sale and resale can become difficult

The most immediate impact is on a proposed sale. A buyer may be ready to purchase the property, but if the registering authority treats the property as prohibited, the transaction may not be registered unless the applicable issue is resolved or the competent authority permits the transaction. For a genuine owner, this can be extremely frustrating.

A property that was previously considered an asset can effectively become illiquid from a transaction perspective.

2. Mortgage and financing can also be affected

Property transactions do not involve only buyers and sellers. Banks and financial institutions also examine the legal and registration status of the property before accepting it as security. If a property is appearing in the prohibited list, obtaining a fresh mortgage or using the property as collateral can become difficult until the underlying issue is clarified.

This can affect both individual homeowners and businesses holding land or buildings.

3. Buyer confidence can fall

Real estate transactions depend heavily on clarity of title. Even when an owner believes that the property was legally purchased, a 22-A entry can make a prospective buyer cautious.

The buyer may ask:

“If the government database shows this property as prohibited, why should I take the risk?” That uncertainty can delay transactions, reduce the number of interested buyers and increase the time and cost required for legal due diligence.

4. A 22-A entry does not automatically mean the owner's title is cancelled

This distinction is extremely important. 22-A should not automatically be interpreted as “the government has taken your property.” The legal position depends on why the property was included, under which category, what government records support the inclusion, and whether the entry itself is correct.

In some cases, the underlying issue may relate to government land, assigned land, ceiling land, waqf land, endowment land, court proceedings or another legally protected category. In other cases, there can be errors in mapping, survey numbers, extents or updating of records.

The Telangana government itself has acknowledged that technical and record-updating errors have occurred in the prohibited-property data and has stated that corrective action is being taken, particularly in the urban districts. (The Times of India)

5. The survey-number problem is particularly important

One of the biggest concerns is when an entire survey number is shown as prohibited even though the restriction may relate only to a portion of that survey number. The government has itself cited instances where the entire survey number appeared in the system because of the way records were uploaded, even though only specific parcels were intended to be covered. The Bhu Bharati system also recognises similar problems in land records, including situations where only part of a survey number has been acquired but the entire survey number is reflected incorrectly.

This is why survey number alone should not always be treated as the final answer. The exact parcel, subdivision, extent and underlying proceedings need to be examined.

6. Hyderabad's urban property owners need particular clarity

The issue is not limited to agricultural land.

Reports during 2026 have highlighted properties in several Hyderabad urban locations appearing in prohibited-property records, including parts of Jubilee Hills. In such cases, residents have approached revenue and registration authorities seeking correction or removal of properties from the list. (The Times of India)

For Hyderabad's rapidly developing western corridor and other urban areas, clarity becomes particularly important because land is frequently bought, sold, developed, mortgaged and redeveloped. A technical error in a land record can therefore have consequences far beyond one individual owner.

7. What should a property owner do?

If your property appears in the 22-A prohibited list, do not panic and do not rely only on verbal information.

First establish exactly what has happened. I would suggest checking the following:

1. Survey number and subdivision

Verify the exact survey number, subdivision and extent.

2. Reason/category for prohibition

Find out under which category the property has been included.

3. Government record or notification

Identify the order, notification, proceedings or other record supporting the restriction.

4. Your title documents

Keep the complete chain of title, including previous sale deeds and relevant link documents.

5. Revenue records

Check the applicable land records and current Bhu Bharati entries.

6. Registration records

Check whether previous transactions relating to the property were registered and whether any prohibition is currently reflected.

7. Court cases or government proceedings

Determine whether there is any litigation, acquisition, ceiling proceeding, assignment issue or other legal restriction connected to the land. Only after establishing these facts can an owner determine the appropriate remedy.

8. There is now a formal grievance mechanism

This is an important development. The Telangana government's Bhu Bharati platform provides a specific process for a “Grievance relating to inclusion in Prohibited Properties List.” The government portal describes the application process, including citizen submission, eKYC and forwarding of the application to the concerned department.

The portal also provides access to prohibited-property information and land-status services. Therefore, owners should use the official process rather than relying solely on brokers, middlemen or unofficial assurances.

9. Government has now announced a time-bound review

The issue has become significant enough for the Telangana government to establish a three-member committee to examine pending 22-A cases. According to the Revenue Minister's announcement reported on September 19, 2026, the committee is headed by the CCLA Commissioner and includes the Law Secretary and the Special Secretary of Registration & Stamps. The government has set a 30-day timeframe for examining the pending cases and recommending resolutions.

The government has also indicated that a special GO is proposed for properties that had obtained approvals from GHMC, HMDA and other competent authorities but subsequently faced registration problems because of their inclusion in the prohibited list. (The Times of India)

That is an important development for affected property owners, although the actual relief available will depend on the facts and the applicable legal category.

The bigger issue: certainty of land records

For me, the 22-A issue is ultimately about something larger than registration.

It is about confidence in land records.

A property owner needs to know:

-What do I own?

-What is the legal status of my land?

-Can I sell it?

-Can a bank finance it?

-Can my children inherit it without facing a registration problem?

-Can a genuine buyer purchase it with confidence?

These questions should have clear answers in a modern land-record system.

At the same time, government has a legitimate responsibility to protect government land, assigned land and other legally protected properties from illegal alienation.

The challenge is to achieve both objectives:

Protect public land without trapping genuine private property owners in incorrect or outdated records.

What Telangana needs now

The solution should not simply be adding more properties to a prohibited list. Telangana needs accurate, parcel-level and regularly updated land records, backed by clear documentation and an accessible grievance-redressal mechanism.

Where a property has been wrongly included, the correction process should be transparent, time-bound and easily accessible. Where the government has a legitimate claim, the owner should be able to see the precise legal basis for that claim.

And where only a portion of a survey number is affected, the records should clearly identify the affected extent rather than unnecessarily blocking unrelated properties.

My view as a real-estate professional

For property owners, the biggest lesson from the current 22-A issue is simple: Do not assume that a registered sale deed alone is enough for today's transaction.

Before buying, selling or investing in land in Telangana, buyers should conduct proper due diligence covering:

Title → Survey → Revenue Records → Prohibited Status → Court Cases → Approvals → Encumbrances → Registration Status.

For existing owners, if your property suddenly appears in the prohibited list, don't immediately conclude that your ownership has disappeared.

-Find out why it is there.

-Check the underlying records.

-Use the official grievance mechanism where appropriate.

-And obtain independent legal advice when the matter involves disputed title, government land, ceiling land, assigned land, waqf/endowment land or court proceedings.

The objective should be neither to create panic among genuine property owners nor to dilute legitimate government protection of public land.

The objective should be much simpler:

Every genuine property owner deserves clarity. Every government property deserves protection. And every land record should accurately reflect the truth.

— Rajasekhar Reddy Allipuram

Founder, PropGo | +91-9949762000