Audit Ordered in Section 155 Cases Affecting Lakhs
3 min readMumbaiMar 19, 2026 04:45 PM IST
Over 1.5 to 2 lakh families across Maharashtra are likely to have been affected by fraudulent manipulation of land records under the guise of “clerical error corrections,” Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule acknowledged in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, triggering a sweeping state-wide audit of land mutation entries.
Bawankule said stringent action would be taken against officials who misused Section 155 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code to alter ownership records and usurp land. A comprehensive probe has now been ordered, with all Section 155 orders issued in the past five years to be scrutinized across districts, and a report expected within two months. While irregularities have so far surfaced mainly in the Pune Division, all divisional commissioners have been directed to examine records across the state to assess the full extent of the fraud.
Section 155 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 is a provision that allows correction of clerical or typographical errors in land and revenue records.
Assuring swift action, the minister said preliminary steps in the Pune cases would begin within seven days, and a detailed Action Taken Report would be tabled before the House before the end of the ongoing session. “Preliminary data suggests that nearly 1.5 to 2 lakh families across the state may have been affected. Providing justice to citizens is the government’s priority no guilty official, regardless of their rank, will be spared,” said Bawankule.
Responding to a Calling Attention motion by Anil Parab, the minister noted that provisions meant for minor clerical corrections were widely abused to manipulate land ownership, inflate land areas, and illegally alter records. An audit led by the Nashik Divisional Commissioner examined 2,383 cases out of 38,027 in Pune district and found multiple violations, including acceptance of offline applications instead of mandatory online processes, failure to notify affected parties, незакон conversion of ‘Occupant Class-II’ land to ‘Class-I’, unauthorized expansion of land area, and removal of names from the ‘Other Rights’ column.
The probe identified 15 officers involved in extremely serious irregularities, 82 in serious violations, and 55 in moderate offences. Based on these findings, the government has initiated criminal proceedings and departmental inquiries in the most severe cases, ordered transfers of officials involved in serious violations, and mandated immediate suspension of those in the highest category or linked to more than 30 irregular instances. In cases where files are missing, criminal charges will be filed under the Public Records Act, 2005.
Highlighting the scale of the scam, Bawankule said the government has already ordered a statewide inspection of all Section 155 cases from the past five years as of February 13, 2026. A legal amendment to tighten provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, is also being proposed to prevent future misuse, while authorities in Pune have been directed to revise all faulty mutation entries under Section 257 for immediate correction.
What is Section 155?
Law: Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966
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Purpose: Allows correction of clerical/typographical errors in land and revenue records
Permitted Corrections:
- Spelling mistakes in names
- Typing errors in entries
- Minor clerical inaccuracies
NOT Permitted:
- Change in land ownership
- Alteration of land area
- Conversion of land category
- Removal of rightful names
Why in News?
Provision allegedly misused to manipulate land records, impacting lakhs of families
