An Andhra Pradesh property owner often discovers a Section 22A problem at the worst possible time: a sale deed is ready, the buyer has arranged funds, and the Sub-Registrar’s system will not accept the document. The survey number appears in the prohibited properties list.
That result does not by itself tell you that the government owns the land. It tells you that registration is restricted under a particular legal category and that the entry must be understood before the transaction proceeds. Some entries are valid. Others may cover the wrong subdivision, an extent larger than the government claim, an acquisition that was later withdrawn, or private land carried forward from an old classification.
The right response is not to keep attempting registration. First identify the exact entry and its Section 22A clause. Then build the revenue-record evidence for a correction or deletion application to the competent authority.
This guide was reviewed against the live AP registration route and published Andhra Pradesh government and High Court material on 23 October 2026. Portal labels and district procedures can change.
What Section 22A does in Andhra Pradesh
Section 22A of the Registration Act, as amended in Andhra Pradesh, prohibits registration of specified classes of documents. In practical terms, it prevents a registering officer from accepting certain transfers involving land that the law, the government or another protected institution says should not be transferred.
The official AP explanation groups the prohibition into five broad clauses:
| Clause | Broad category | What to verify if the entry looks wrong |
|---|---|---|
| 22A(1)(a) | Property whose transfer is prohibited by a Central or State law | The statute cited, the land classification and whether it covers this exact subdivision |
| 22A(1)(b) | State or Central government property transferred by someone without authority | Government title, acquisition history, resumption records and survey extent |
| 22A(1)(c) | Endowment or waqf property transferred without statutory authority | The institution’s register, notification, survey identity and extent |
| 22A(1)(d) | Property attached by a court or by specified authorities | The attachment order, case number, extent and whether the order remains in force |
| 22A(1)(e) | Property notified by the State Government as affecting specified public or institutional interests | The particular government notification and the land schedule attached to it |
These categories matter because there is no single generic “22A removal letter”. A government-land classification, an endowment claim and an expired court attachment require different proof and may involve different authorities.
District government websites also publish clause-wise lists. For example, the West Godavari district prohibited-properties page separates 22A(1)(a), (b) and (d), endowment entries under (c), and notified property under (e). That is why the clause shown against your survey number should be the first fact in your case file.
How to check the AP prohibited properties list
Use the official Andhra Pradesh Registration and Stamps portal and open its Prohibited Properties service. The department’s links and screen labels can move, so start from the official domain rather than an old third-party tutorial.
Before searching, copy these details from the registered deed or an authenticated revenue record:
- present district, mandal and revenue village;
- survey number and every subdivision suffix;
- total extent in the deed and the extent you actually claim;
- the Sub-Registrar Office connected with the property; and
- an old district or village name if boundaries changed after reorganisation.
Search the exact subdivision first. Survey No. 120/2 is not interchangeable with 120, 120/1 or 120/2A. If the portal permits only the parent number, inspect every returned row and compare its village, classification, extent, clause and remarks.
Assetly’s Andhra Pradesh prohibited property check screens the IGRS Section 22-A registers and the MeeBhoomi dispute list together, while keeping the two results separate. It is useful for triage, but the official record and the competent authority’s order control the outcome.
Save a dated PDF or screenshot of every result. A list can change, and a saved result helps the Tahsildar understand precisely what you are asking to correct.
Do not confuse a Section 22A result with an EC
An Encumbrance Certificate and a prohibited-properties search answer different questions.
An EC reports registered transactions found for the property description and search period. A Section 22A entry tells the registering system not to accept a class of transaction involving the listed property. A property can have an old sale deed and an apparently clean EC yet still be blocked today.
Likewise, a “Data Not Found” screen is not a title certificate. Check the survey number in the official Section 22A service, the current 1-B and Adangal records, the registered document chain and the relevant district list. Our IGRS AP guide explains where each registration service sits.
Read the entry before trying to remove it
Create a one-page comparison rather than submitting a pile of documents without an argument.
| Field | Prohibited-list entry | Your supporting record | Difference to explain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey number and subdivision | |||
| Village and mandal | |||
| Extent blocked | |||
| Land classification | |||
| Section 22A clause | |||
| Government order or case reference | |||
| Recorded owner or institution |
This exercise usually reveals the real issue. Common patterns include:
- the parent survey number was blocked although only one subdivision is affected;
- the prohibited extent is larger than the extent shown in the source order;
- an old government or poramboke classification continued after a lawful assignment or later proceeding;
- a withdrawn acquisition or discharged attachment remains in the registration data;
- a village or survey renumbering created an incorrect match; or
- the owner relies on a registered deed, but the underlying revenue classification was never corrected.
The last pattern is especially important. A registered deed proves that a document was registered. It does not automatically defeat a government-land, assignment or endowment classification.
How to request removal of a wrong Section 22A entry
Published AP High Court orders show the working administrative route: owners have filed a MeeSeva application seeking deletion to the District Collector, followed by verification and reports from the Tahsildar and Revenue Divisional Officer. In a November 2025 order, the High Court remanded a rejection to the District Collector because the Tahsildar’s report had not been dealt with through valid reasons. The Court directed reconsideration after giving the owner an opportunity to be heard. That case does not guarantee deletion in another matter, but it shows why the evidence trail and a reasoned order matter. See the AP High Court order in W.P. No. 8923 of 2023.
Use this sequence:
1. Ask for the current district checklist
Confirm the live MeeSeva service name, fee, document list and competent district after any boundary change. Do not rely on an old receipt from a different district as proof that your application has reached the correct Collector.
2. State exactly what should change
Identify the district, mandal, village, survey number, subdivision and extent. Quote the clause and entry shown in the prohibited list. Ask for deletion only if the entire entry is unsupported; if only part of the survey or extent is wrong, ask for that precise correction.
3. Attach the title and revenue-record chain
Depending on the reason for inclusion, the file may need:
- registered sale, gift, partition or settlement deeds forming the title chain;
- current and historical 1-B, Adangal, village accounts and mutation proceedings;
- pattadar passbook or assignment/patta proceedings, including the original conditions;
- FMB, subdivision, resurvey or correlation material;
- tax receipts and possession material, as supporting rather than conclusive evidence;
- acquisition, withdrawal, de-notification, court or attachment orders;
- the prohibited-list result and the government order or schedule behind it; and
- succession documents where the applicant is an heir rather than the named owner.
If an old assignment file is central, do not assume the absence of a copy in your family papers ends the matter. Ask the Tahsildar’s office to verify the relevant DKT register, village accounts and connected file. The 2025 High Court matter turned on how the Collector dealt with the field report and underlying assignment evidence.
4. Preserve proof and participate in the enquiry
Keep the MeeSeva acknowledgement, application number, complete document set and every later notice. Attend the survey or hearing, or authorise a properly documented representative. Ask that the final order address your material, not merely repeat the existing classification.
5. Verify implementation, not just approval
An order allowing deletion is not the end if the registration database still shows the old entry. Obtain the signed order, allow for the directed update, then re-run the official Section 22A search. Confirm the correction with the SRO before fixing a registration date.
What if the application is ignored or rejected?
First obtain the written status or rejection order. Check whether it identifies the legal clause, the source record, the officers’ reports and the reasons for rejecting your evidence.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has repeatedly directed District Collectors to decide pending deletion applications in accordance with law and after giving the applicant an opportunity. In a January 2023 order, the Court allowed a fresh application after district bifurcation and directed a decision within three months. That was an order on those facts, not a standard deadline for every application. See the AP High Court order concerning a fresh Section 22A deletion application.
If there is prolonged inaction, an unreasoned rejection or a dispute about government title, take the complete file to an Andhra Pradesh property lawyer. A writ petition may address administrative inaction or an unlawful decision, but a genuine title dispute can require different proceedings. Do not treat litigation as an online-list correction service.
Mistakes that weaken an otherwise valid request
- Submitting only the sale deed. The dispute is often about the earlier classification, assignment or government interest.
- Ignoring the subdivision. A request for an entire parent survey can fail when the evidence supports only a smaller parcel.
- Applying to the SRO for deletion. The SRO generally enforces the restriction; the revenue-side authority examines the entry.
- Asking a broker to “clear” the number. Insist on an official application, receipt and signed proceeding.
- Selling under an agreement while the block remains. The restriction is a material transaction risk and may make performance impossible.
- Assuming mutation proves title. Revenue entries support the factual record but do not replace the registered chain or resolve every competing claim.
- Stopping after the order. Recheck the live list and the SRO system before proceeding.
A practical file for owners living outside Andhra Pradesh
If you live abroad or outside the district, scan the material in chronological order and name each file with its date, document type and survey number. Keep a short index connecting every assertion to a document. If someone will appear locally, use a purpose-specific power of attorney and check its stamping and registration requirements before relying on it.
Our broader guide to managing Andhra Pradesh property remotely covers the surrounding EC, revenue-record, inheritance and possession checks. For a transaction, also use the wider property-title verification checklist. Section 22A clearance is one necessary check, not a complete opinion on ownership.
The bottom line
When an AP survey number appears in the Section 22A prohibited properties list, start with the clause and the exact land identity. Compare the blocked survey number, subdivision and extent against the notification, village accounts, assignment or acquisition file and registered title chain.
If the entry is wrong, use the current MeeSeva route to place a precise, evidence-backed request before the District Collector. Preserve the acknowledgement, participate in the enquiry, insist on a reasoned written order and verify that the registration system has actually been updated. A clean EC, an old sale deed or a verbal assurance from the SRO is not a substitute for that process.
