Sale deed, agreement for sale and Index II: translating them into English

Sale deeds, agreements and Index II extracts registered in Maharashtra are usually in Marathi; in north Indian states they are often in Hindi. People need them in English for a home loan, for a buyer or owner who lives outside the state or abroad, for a court, or for an embassy or visa file. A good translation covers the whole document, including the stamp and registration pages, and keeps every name, number and boundary traceable to the original.

Who asks for an English translation, and what do they accept?

• Banks and housing finance companies, when the property secures a loan.
• Buyers and NRI owners outside the state who need to know what they are signing or own.
• Courts, in property, partition and succession matters. See translation requirements in Indian courts.
• Embassies and visa offices, when property is shown as proof of assets.

What each of them accepts varies. Many want a translation signed or certified by a named translator, and some want it notarised. Ask the bank, court or authority what it needs before you order anything. Certified, official or machine translation explains the difference.

Sale deed or agreement for sale?

The difference matters in translation. A sale is a transfer of ownership for a price. Where the property is tangible immovable property worth one hundred rupees or more, the transfer can be made only by a registered instrument. A contract for sale only says that a sale will take place on agreed terms, and it does not by itself create any interest in the property. (Transfer of Property Act, 1882, section 54)

So खरेदीखत (sale deed) must not be translated as "agreement", and साठेखत (agreement for sale) must not be translated as "sale deed".

Leave and licence agreements for premises in Maharashtra, entered into after the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 came into force, must be in writing and registered, and the landlord is responsible for registering them. (Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, section 55)

What does each part of a sale deed record?

The order varies, but the model Marathi sale deed published by IGR Maharashtra shows the usual parts:

• Date and place of execution.
• Parties. The seller (लिहून देणार) and the buyer (लिहून घेणार), with age, occupation, address and identity details.
• Recitals and title history. How the seller came to own the property: inheritance, or an earlier purchase with its registration number and date, and the mutation entry in the revenue records.
• Consideration and payment. The price (मोबदला) in figures and in words, and a payment table listing each cheque, transfer or other payment.
• Description of the property. District, taluka, village, survey, gat, CTS or plot number, floor and flat number, and area.
• Boundaries (चतुःसीमा). What lies to the east, south, west and north.
• Possession (ताबा). Whether possession is handed over on the date of the deed.
• Title assurances and indemnity. That the property is free from encumbrances, disputes and attachment, and that the seller will make good any loss from a defect in title.
• Market value and stamp duty. The market value under the government's annual rate statement, and the stamp duty (मुद्रांक शुल्क) and registration fee paid.
• Registration endorsements. When a document is presented, the registering officer endorses on it the date, time and place of presentation. After registration, the officer endorses a signed, sealed and dated certificate containing the word "registered" with a reference to the book and pages where it is kept. (Registration Act, 1908, sections 52 and 60)

The Registration Act also requires a non-testamentary document relating to immovable property to describe it well enough to identify it, which is why area, boundaries and survey numbers matter so much. (Registration Act, 1908, section 21)

What is Index II in Maharashtra?

Registration offices keep four indexes. Index No. II contains the particulars of each document that the Inspector General of Registration directs. (Registration Act, 1908, section 55) In Maharashtra it is called सूची क्र. २ (suchi kramank 2), and it is the index used to search records by property. In practice it is a short extract of the main particulars of a registered document. (IGR Maharashtra, Copy and Search)

An Index II typically shows the type of document, the document number and date, the names of the parties, the property number and area, the consideration, the stamp duty paid and the Sub-Registrar office. The exact fields depend on the year and office, so translate every field on your own copy.

How to get it. IGR Maharashtra runs an e-Search service, with free and paid versions. You can search by property (district, area and survey, CTS, plot or flat number) or by document number (registration type, district, Sub-Registrar office, year and number), and then open the Index II for a result. Powers of attorney and wills are not available in the search. (IGR Maharashtra, eSearch user manual)

A certified copy of an index can be applied for at the Sub-Registrar's office. (IGR Maharashtra, citizen charter for certified copies of index) Since 13 August 2026, IGR Maharashtra's e-Praman service also issues digitally signed certified copies of registered documents and of Index No. 1 to 4 across Maharashtra. (IGR Maharashtra, e-Praman) Confirm the current process and fees on the IGR website.

Sale deed terms and their usual English renderings

Context decides. Keep the original term in brackets the first time it appears if the reader may need to match it to the source.

In a sale deed, लिहून देणार and लिहून घेणार are the seller and the buyer; in other deeds, use the role the document gives them (donor and donee, licensor and licensee). For more vocabulary, see Marathi to English legal translation and Hindi to English legal translation.

What to check in the translation

• Names. Transliterate names of people, villages and housing societies; do not translate them. Spell each one the same way throughout.
• Property numbers. Survey, gat, hissa, CTS, plot, flat and floor numbers, digit by digit, including any in Devanagari numerals (०१२३४५६७८९).
• Areas and units. Keep the unit as written: square metres, square feet, hectares and ares, or older units. Convert only if asked, and say so. Carpet area and built-up area are not the same thing.
• Amounts in words and figures. Check that both match the original. If the original itself has a mismatch, translate it as it stands and flag it; do not correct it.
• Boundaries and payments. Each direction must carry the right neighbour. Check cheque numbers and dates in the payment table.
• Registration endorsements. Document number, Sub-Registrar office, year, dates, and the stamp duty and fees shown. Mark anything illegible as "[illegible]" rather than guessing.

Where NyayTranslate fits

Upload the deed or Index II as a PDF, or as a phone photo if it is a single page (a long deed is easiest as one scanned PDF). NyayTranslate translates it into English (or into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali or Punjabi) and keeps the layout of each page, including tables, stamps and handwritten notes, subject to legibility. You can see the first two pages translated free before paying; after that it is Rs 10 per page up to 100 pages, Rs 8 per page from 101 to 500 pages, and Rs 6 per page beyond 500. Confirm the price shown before you pay.

The output is a machine translation for review. It is not certified, sworn, official or court-approved. Use the route the receiving court or authority requires.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the current rules and practice directions of your court.