Encumbrance Certificate
Land records
In one line
A statement of the registered transactions and charges against a property.
An EC lists the registered transactions affecting a property over a stated period — sales, mortgages, liens. A clear EC is evidence that the seller can actually sell. It covers only registered instruments, so an unregistered agreement or a family claim will not appear.
Related words
Mutation (dakhil kharij)
Recording a change of ownership in the revenue record after a sale or inheritance.
Jamabandi
The record of rights — who owns what, updated every few years.