Selling a whole survey number is simple: the deed names the number, the area and the boundaries. Selling part of one raises an obvious question. Which part? In Karnataka, the 11E sketch answers it.
Most buyers come across this document without anyone explaining it. Here is what it does, in plain words.
First, two terms
A survey number is the government's ID for a piece of land within a village. A hissa number is a sub-division of that piece, once it has been split. The 11E sketch sits between the two: it shows a portion that is about to be separated.
What the sketch shows
The sketch is prepared by Karnataka's Department of Survey, Settlement and Land Records. It shows:
- the parent survey number;
- the portion being sold, with its measurements and area;
- where that portion sits inside the parent land.
It is named after the form it is issued on. Because a government department issues it, you can check it against the department's own records. And because it is a survey document, it describes the ground, not who owns it.
When you will need one
It comes up when someone sells part of a survey number of land held in the revenue records, typically farm land that has not yet become an approved layout. Sub-registrar offices usually ask for it before registering such a sale. That is sensible: a deed selling "two acres out of ten" without saying which two acres cannot be applied on the ground.
If the whole survey number is sold, or the land has already been split and each part has its own hissa number and record, the question is already answered and no 11E sketch is needed.
How it is obtained
- The landholder applies to the survey department for the parent survey number.
- A surveyor is assigned and a date is fixed.
- The land is measured on site against the department's records.
- The sketch is issued with the portion's measurements and position.
A helpful side effect: if the ground does not match the record, it shows up now, before money and signatures. Fixing a boundary issue at this stage is far cheaper than after registration.
Your five checks on the sketch
- Survey number and village match the deed and the land record exactly, spelling included.
- Area matches the deed. Remember that 2.10 acres on a revenue record usually means two acres and ten guntha, not 2.1 acres.
- Position in the parent land: road-facing or tucked inside? Two portions of the same size are not equal if one has no road frontage.
- Access: an inside portion needs a recorded path in. See whether the sketch shows one.
- Issue details: office, reference number and date, so it can be traced.
What the sketch does not prove
- Ownership. That comes from the chain of registered deeds, read with the record of rights under sections 127 to 129 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. Section 133 makes an entry presumed correct until proved otherwise.
- Freedom from loans or claims. An encumbrance search answers that. Section 57 of the Registration Act, 1908 lets you inspect the registrar's books and get copies.
- Conversion from farm use. Using farm land for homes needs separate permission under section 95 of the same Land Revenue Act.
- Layout approval. Splitting land into plots for sale needs a planning approval from the competent authority.
Where it fits
| Stage | Document | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Before sale | Land record, encumbrance certificate, past deeds | Who holds it, and is anything owed on it? |
| Before sale of a part | 11E sketch | Which part is being sold? |
| At sale | Registered sale deed | The transfer itself |
| After sale | Mutation and sub-division | The land record catching up |
Do not skip the last row. Registering the deed does not update the land record on its own. Until the mutation (the change of name in the record) happens, the record may still show the old holder.
A worked example in acres and guntha
Illustrative figures only. Say a survey number holds 4 acres 20 guntha, and the owner is selling 1 acre 10 guntha of it. In Karnataka, 1 acre is 40 guntha, and 1 guntha is 1,089 sq ft (a 33 ft by 33 ft square).
- Parent land: 4 × 40 + 20 = 180 guntha.
- Portion sold: 1 × 40 + 10 = 50 guntha.
- In square feet: 50 × 1,089 = 54,450 sq ft.
- What stays with the seller: 180 − 50 = 130 guntha, or 3 acres 10 guntha.
Now read the sketch. If it shows 1 acre 10 guntha, good. If someone has written "1.10 acres" and a buyer reads it as 1.1 acres (44 guntha), the buyer thinks they are getting 6 guntha less than the record says. Six guntha is 6,534 sq ft. That is a whole house plot of difference from one misread decimal point.
Step by step: how a careful buyer uses the sketch
- Get the land record first. Download the RTC (record of rights, tenancy and crops) for the parent survey number and note who it names and the total area.
- Ask the seller for the 11E sketch. Ask for a copy with its office, reference number and date visible.
- Match the numbers. Survey number, village, hobli and taluk should match the RTC and the draft sale deed exactly.
- Do the guntha arithmetic. Add up the portion being sold and what remains. Together they should equal the parent area on the RTC.
- Walk the land with the sketch. Start from a fixed point such as a road corner. Check that the side lengths and the neighbours look right.
- Hand everything to your own lawyer. Ask for a written opinion that covers title, the encumbrance search and conversion, not only the sketch.
- Follow up after registration. Track the mutation until the RTC shows your name for your portion.
Common mistakes first-time buyers make
- Treating the sketch as a title document. It shows where, not who. A seller with a clean sketch can still have a gap in the chain of deeds.
- Reading revenue areas as decimals. As in the example above, "acres.guntha" is not a decimal fraction.
- Not checking access. A portion in the middle of a field with no recorded path can be very hard to build on or resell.
- Accepting an old sketch without asking why. If the sketch is years old and the land has been sold in parts since, ask whether it still reflects the record today.
- Forgetting the mutation. Registration transfers the land. The land record only changes when the mutation goes through, and lenders and future buyers will look at the record.
How this connects to buying a flat
If you are buying an apartment, you will not sign anything based on an 11E sketch. But the land under your building may once have been bought in parts. When your lawyer reads the builder's title papers, sketches like this are part of how they confirm that the land the building stands on is the land the builder owns. You can ask your lawyer one simple question: "Do the land papers add up to the area the project is built on?"
A RERA-registered project has to file its title details with the regulator under section 4 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. That gives you a starting point, but your own lawyer's opinion is still worth having.
A sketch in a file can make land look well documented. It answers one question only. If you are offered a sketch when you asked for a conversion order or an encumbrance certificate, keep asking. For the full order of checks, see our first home guide.