Key Takeaways
- A Sanad is a government-issued grant or order that confers or records a right over land and sets out the conditions on which the land is held or may be used. It comes from the state, not from a private seller.
- Buyers meet a Sanad in three main contexts — the NA Sanad (non-agricultural permission under Section 44 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966), the occupancy/re-grant Sanad (from Inam/Watan abolition and restricted-tenure re-grants), and the Gunthewari Sanad (regularisation of unauthorised plots).
- A Sanad can carry binding conditions — permitted use only, a bar on transfer without the Collector’s sanction, payment of NA assessment or premium, building/setback rules, and reversion to government on breach.
- A Sanad is not a sale deed. The Sanad is government → holder (a grant/permission); a sale deed is seller → buyer (a conveyance). A sale deed can only pass what the Sanad conditions allow.
- Read the Sanad before you buy. Its conditions bind successors, so they become your conditions the day you take title.
By Girish Chhalwani, Founder & CEO, THE EDGE Developments · 20+ years in Maharashtra land acquisition · 7 min read · Last updated 30 July 2026
What is a Sanad in Maharashtra land records?
A Sanad is a formal document issued by the government — a grant, title deed or order — that confers or records a right over a specific piece of land and embodies the conditions on which that land is held or is permitted to be used. It is a public, state-side instrument: the government is the grantor, and the conditions written into it run with the land.
For a buyer, the Sanad matters because it defines the outer limits of what can lawfully be done with the plot. A seller cannot give you more than the Sanad allows. If the Sanad restricts use to a sanctioned non-agricultural purpose, or bars transfer without the Collector’s sanction, those limits pass to you — whatever the sale deed says.
The three Sanads a buyer is most likely to meet
“Sanad” is a generic word for a government grant/order, so the same term appears in very different situations. The three most common in modern deals:
| Type of Sanad | What it does | Legal basis | Typical conditions it carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| NA Sanad (non-agricultural) | Evidences that agricultural land has been permitted for a non-agricultural use. | Section 44 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 — Section 44(6) provides that when land is permitted for NA use, a sanad is granted to the holder in the prescribed form. | Sanctioned use only (residential/commercial/industrial), NA assessment payable, building lines/setbacks, a time limit to commence the use. |
| Occupancy / Re-grant Sanad | Records the re-grant of former Inam, Watan or alienated land to the holder as an occupant after abolition. | The Inam/Watan abolition Acts of the 1950s, read with Section 29 of the MLRC (classes of occupants). | Restricted tenure (often Occupant Class II / “Navi Shart”): no transfer or partition without the Collector’s sanction and a premium. |
| Gunthewari Sanad | Certifies regularisation of an unauthorised sub-divided plot/layout. | Maharashtra Gunthewari Developments (Regularisation, Upgradation and Control) Act, 2001 (amended 2021). | Regularisation charges paid, plot compliant with the sanctioned regularisation, conditions on further development. |
The exact form, conditions and charges vary by type, by district and by the Government Resolution in force. Read the actual Sanad on the file — do not assume its terms from the type name.
The NA Sanad: what Section 44 actually says
Under Section 44 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, an occupant who wants to use agricultural land for a non-agricultural purpose applies to the Collector, and when permission is granted a Sanad is issued to the holder in the prescribed form. Section 44(6) is the sub-section that ties the permission to the document: the NA conditions are embodied in that Sanad.
So the NA Sanad is the proof that a plot is legitimately non-agricultural, and it is also the rulebook for that plot. It fixes the sanctioned use, the NA assessment, the building conditions, and any time limit to start construction. If the ground use drifts from the sanctioned use in the Sanad, that is a breach the authority can act on. A buyer intending to build should read the NA Sanad conditions against the intended project before signing anything — our step-by-step NA conversion guide, linked below, walks through how the permission is obtained and what the Sanad records.
How a Sanad relates to tenure class
A Sanad and the tenure class are two layers of the same title, and buyers routinely confuse them. The tenure class (Occupant Class I, Occupant Class II or Government lessee under Section 29 of the MLRC) says how freely the land can be transferred. The Sanad is the document that grants the right and records the conditions — and a re-grant Sanad is frequently what creates a Class II (restricted) tenure in the first place.
The two do not cancel each other. A plot can have an NA Sanad permitting construction and still be Occupant Class II land whose sale needs the Collector’s sanction and a premium. Getting NA permission does not dissolve a restricted-tenure condition. That is exactly the trap: the NA Sanad looks like a green light, while the underlying tenure restriction on the same 7/12 quietly remains.
“Buyers ask us for the sale deed and stop there. The document that actually governs the plot is often the Sanad on the revenue file — the NA conditions, the tenure restriction, the reversion clause. A sale deed transfers whatever the seller lawfully holds; it cannot rewrite the Sanad. Read the Sanad first, and the sale deed makes sense. Read only the sale deed, and you are guessing.”
— Girish Chhalwani, Founder & CEO, THE EDGE Developments
Sanad versus sale deed: the distinction that protects buyers
This is the single most important idea in the article, so it deserves an explicit comparison:
| Sanad | Sale deed | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | The government (Collector / revenue authority). | The seller, in favour of the buyer. |
| What it does | Grants or records a right/permission and sets conditions on the land. | Conveys ownership of the land from seller to buyer. |
| Where it is registered | Reflected in revenue records (7/12, property card, mutation). | Registered with the Sub-Registrar under the Registration Act. |
| What it can pass | Defines the outer limit of the rights that exist. | Can only transfer what the Sanad conditions permit. |
| Effect of breaching it | Can trigger penalty or resumption of the land by government. | Can be challenged as void if it transfers a restricted right without sanction. |
In short: the sale deed moves the land; the Sanad decides whether it was allowed to move, and on what terms. A buyer needs to read both, and read the Sanad first.
What to check on a Sanad before you buy
- Identify the type of Sanad — NA, occupancy/re-grant, or Gunthewari — and match it to the 7/12 tenure entry.
- Read the sanctioned use and confirm it matches what you intend to do with the plot.
- Look for a transfer restriction — any requirement for the Collector’s sanction and a premium before sale, gift, mortgage or partition.
- Check the payment and time conditions — NA assessment, premiums, regularisation charges, and any deadline to commence use.
- Look for a reversion / breach clause — whether the land can be resumed if a condition is broken.
- Confirm the Sanad is current and unbreached with the Tehsildar or Collector, and verify the mutation (ferfar) recording it on the 7/12.
Where the Sanad or the tenure position is unclear — and on older grants it often is — get it confirmed in writing from the Collector or Tehsildar and reviewed by an advocate before any money moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Sanad the same as a title deed or a sale deed?
No. A Sanad is a government grant or order that confers or records a right and its conditions — issued by the state and reflected in revenue records. A sale deed is a private conveyance between a seller and a buyer, registered with the Sub-Registrar. A sale deed can only transfer what the Sanad and the tenure allow, so the two are read together, not treated as interchangeable.
What is an NA Sanad in Maharashtra?
An NA Sanad is the document issued when agricultural land is permitted for non-agricultural use under Section 44 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. Section 44(6) provides that a sanad is granted to the holder in the prescribed form, and it embodies the NA conditions — the sanctioned use, the NA assessment, building conditions and any time limit to start the use.
Does an NA Sanad remove a restricted-tenure condition?
No. NA permission changes how the land may be used; it does not by itself dissolve a transfer restriction. Land can hold an NA Sanad and still be Occupant Class II (“Navi Shart”), meaning a sale still needs the Collector’s sanction and a premium. Check the tenure class separately from the NA status.
What conditions can a Sanad impose on a plot?
Common conditions include restricting the land to a sanctioned use, requiring the Collector’s previous sanction and a premium before transfer, payment of NA assessment or regularisation charges, building and setback rules, a deadline to commence use, and reversion of the land to government if a condition is breached. The exact terms vary by type, district and Government Resolution, so read the actual Sanad.
Why should a buyer read the Sanad before purchase?
Because a Sanad’s conditions run with the land and bind successors — they become the buyer’s conditions on the day title passes. Buying without reading the Sanad risks acquiring land whose use is limited, whose transfer needed a sanction that was never obtained, or which can be resumed for an existing breach. The Sanad, not the sale deed, tells you what you are really buying.
Not sure what your plot’s Sanad actually permits?
THE EDGE Developments reads the Sanad, the tenure class and the mutation history before you sign — so the conditions on the file don’t become your problem after purchase. Talk to our land-intelligence team.
Related Reading
- Pillar: Maharashtra Land Records Portals: The Complete Directory of Government Websites
- NA Conversion Process in Maharashtra: Cost, Timeline & Step-by-Step Guide 2026
- Gunthewari Regularisation in Maharashtra: What It Means for Unauthorised Layouts
- Land Title Verification in Maharashtra: The Complete Document Checklist
- Case study: Infrastructure-Triggered Land Appreciation: The Karjat Corridor Case Study
- Talk to us: Contact THE EDGE Developments
Citations & Sources
- Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 — Section 44 (conversion of use; sanad under s.44(6)): indiankanoon.org/doc/163768344; full Code at indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/15974.
- Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 — Section 29 (classes of occupants): indiankanoon.org/doc/122824018.
- Maharashtra Gunthewari Developments (Regularisation, Upgradation and Control) Act, 2001: indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/16113.
- Maharashtra land records / 7/12 extract portal (Mahabhulekh): bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Sanad conditions, NA rules and tenure restrictions vary by district and Government Resolution and change over time. Confirm the position for a specific survey number with the Collector or Tehsildar and a qualified advocate before transacting.
