Odisha HC Rejects Mandatory Online Land Demarcation

The Orissa High Court has ruled that landowners seeking plot demarcation under the Odisha Survey and Settlement Rules, 1962 cannot be forced to apply online or pay ₹800 per plot.
Justice Sashikanta Mishra said the online system and higher charges introduced through government notifications can only be used as an optional alternative. Applicants using the procedure under Rule 38 must be allowed to apply offline and pay the prescribed fee of ₹4 per plot.
The ruling came in a petition concerning Sri Gadagadeswar Mahadev Bije, which owns 11 plots covering around 2.6 acres near Gadagadia temple on the Mahanadi bank in Cuttack’s Killa Maidan. The trustee alleged encroachment and claimed that the Cuttack Municipal Corporation had built a road over part of the property without acquisition. Parts of the land are also reportedly used by government agencies and during the annual Balijatra.

When the trustee sought demarcation, the Cuttack Sadar tehsildar insisted on online filing, which required separate applications and ₹800 for each plot.
The High Court directed the tehsildar to accept the offline application at the prescribed fee and complete the demarcation within four weeks after notifying concerned parties.
The court also ordered the state to modify its portal to allow one application for multiple plots under a single account number.
The court clarified that the February 14, 2020 notification providing for licensed surveyors and ₹800 per day, and the October 15, 2025 SOP prescribing ₹800 per plot through the online system, will remain available only as alternative options, not mandatory procedures under Rule 38.