Application for a Fard / Jamabandi Nakal (Certified Copy of the Record of Rights)

Stamp duty

No stamp duty — not a chargeable instrument; plain paper, no stamp needed even online. What you pay is a copying fee, and which one depends on the counter: at the PATWARI's record (Rule 71), Rs 20/page for a jamabandi/fard badar/mutation copy, Rs 20 flat for a fard haqiat, Rs 20 per four fields for a map tracing — free for a public officer's official purpose. At a FARD KENDRA computerised nakal (Rule 71-B), the fee is genuinely unpublished — don't assume it matches the Rs 20 manual rate; ask the operator to show the on-screen figure and insist on a receipt. The Rs 600 mutation fee and Rs 200 pasting fee do NOT apply to a copy application — those are charged on an actual mutation or registered document. No court fee is prescribed; don't prepay one if a counter asks — get the schedule entry in writing. The online portal announced free jamabandi copies at its 2025 launch (only a Rs 500/year subscription service is paid).

Registration

Not registrable — section 17, Registration Act, 1908 doesn't reach a copy request; nothing to register, no fee, no deadline. The actual authority is Rule 71 (patwari's record) or Rule 71-B (a Fard Kendra's computerised nakal, notified 2009). Three counters: online at jamabandi.punjab.gov.in (all 23 districts); the Fard Kendra (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, same-day if requested by 4pm); or the Halqa Patwari for an old or gap-filled record. Whether Fard Kendras still operate independently is unresolved — Punjab announced folding them into Sewa Kendras from April 2025, but some sources still list them separately — ring the tehsil first. This is a notified service: 1 day at Fard Kendra level; 2-7 days at village level depending on page count (plus 2 days if filed at a Sewa/Suwidha/Saanjh Kendra). Appeal for delay goes to the SDM, then the Deputy Commissioner — built entirely on your acknowledgment and receipt, so never leave without them. Remember: the copy only carries the section 44 presumption of truth, not a title guarantee, and a mutation finalised after the 15 June cut-off (para 7.56) may not appear in it yet.

Notarisation

Not required, and not to be demanded — no rule needs a notary, oath commissioner or affidavit for a copy of a public record. You're identified instead by a photo ID (self-attested copy) at the counter, or by mobile OTP online. A notary IS needed for other, different documents nearby — a mutation-of-inheritance affidavit, some offices' fard badar affidavit, a lost-title-deed affidavit — but never for this copy application itself. If someone else collects for you, the letter of authority doesn't need notarising either (though a fussy clerk may ask for one anyway) — keep it narrow: presenting, paying, collecting only, never reporting an acquisition or consenting to a mutation on your behalf. A digitally signed fard downloaded online needs no further attestation — sections 4 and 5, IT Act, 2000 give it the same legal effect as a signed paper; don't let anyone insist on fresh tehsil stamping.

Witnesses

None required — adding witness lines is a mistake here; it looks like a copied sale deed and invites extra scrutiny. Only you sign; a representative collecting for you signs only their own specimen line, never the application. Any ONE co-sharer can apply for the whole khewat's copy. Separate reminder if you're here because of a death: report the inheritance to the Halqa Patwari too — section 39, PLRA lets the Collector fine up to 5x the mutation fee for reporting over 3 months late, a commonly forgotten and costly mistake.