BDA Site, Approved Layout, DC-Converted or Revenue Site? Buying a Plot in Bengaluru in 2026

Four plots, all 30x40, on the same road outside Bengaluru, can be four different products on paper: a BDA site, a plot in a planning-authority-approved layout, a DC-converted plot, and a revenue site. We explain who approves what (GBA inside the city, BDA on the outskirts, and the BMRDA region's local planning authorities), how each kind of plot is sold and released, and why the paper now decides whether a plot can be registered, financed and built on. We cover the 2025-26 changes: the September 2025 land-conversion rules, the Karnataka High Court's 19 September 2025 ruling that converted land without an approved layout cannot demand an e-khata, the B-khata drives and B-to-A conversion windows, and the Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill passed by the Assembly on 27 August 2026 (not yet notified as in force, as of mid-October). Then the e-khata and e-Swathu checks, the paper trail (RTC, mutation register, EC on Kaveri 2.0, conversion order, layout sanction and release order), three red flags (PTCL land, lake buffers, GPA sales), and the money: 5% stamp duty on a plot at any price, cess and surcharge, the 2% registration fee since 31 August 2025, 1% TDS on Form 141, plot loans after the RBI's 7 October 2026 repo hike, and capital gains on land. Recorded 17 October 2026. No apartments this week, and nothing here is a recommendation. Chapters: 0:00 Same road, four plots: why the paper decides 1:02 The four kinds of plot, in plain words 2:05 Who approves what: GBA, BDA, BMRDA and the planning authorities 3:03 Type 1: the BDA site (Karanth layout, e-auctions, NPKL) 4:25 Type 2: the approved private layout (releases, RERA) 5:12 Type 3: DC-converted land (2025 rules, the High Court ruling) 6:19 Type 4: revenue sites, B-khata and the new registration bill 7:53 Which e-khata your plot should have 8:58 The paper trail: RTC, EC, conversion, release order, red flags 10:16 The money: stamp duty, registration, TDS, loans, tax 11:58 The bottom line: price benchmarks and the plot rule Sources: • Karnataka High Court, U. Mamatha v State of Karnataka, WP 21648/2024, 19 Sep 2025 (via CourtBook, 7 Oct 2025) • Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2026, LA Bill 26 of 2026, new s.71-A (PRS India); Drishti IAS, 27 Aug 2026 • Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Rules 2025, RD-LGP/6/2025, 17 Sep 2025 (Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas; Conventus Law; King Stubb & Kasiva) • KTCP Act s.17 as amended by the Third Amendment Act 2020 (TeamLease RegTech); KTCP and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Act 2025, GBA as planning authority (Deccan Herald; Wikipedia) • BMRDA: Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South) districts, ~8,005 sq km (Wikipedia; BMRDA presentations); local planning authorities (VaultPropTech 2026); Anekal LPA area (Deccan Herald; 1acre.in) • BDA: Deccan Herald ("BDA launches 13th e-auction, offers 175 premium sites", Jul 2026; "KG layout: 26k sites sold, only 60 plans approved", Sep 2024); Constrofacilitator, 28 Aug 2026; Asianet Newsable, 16 Jul 2026; Supreme Court, G.T. Girish v Y. Subba Raju, 18 Jan 2022 • RERA Act 2016, s.3; Karnataka RERA guides (JLL Homes, CleverCoins, 2026) • B-khata: ETV Bharat, 14 Mar 2025; Deccan Herald (B-khata scheme extended by three months: 10 lakh+ applications, ~2 lakh issued; rural B-khatas); The South First and Realty Today (30 Sep 2024 cut-off); PTI via The Week, 15 Oct 2025; PropNewz and OneCityProperty (2% window to 23 Aug 2026); Oneindia (statewide scheme, Sep 2026) • e-Khata: Oneindia, 18 Sep 2026; Vault Proptech (Mar 2026); Deccan Herald (forged khata papers used to register three sites, FIR filed, 2026; Herohalli revenue officer suspended, 2026); TNPSC Thervupettagam, 5 Dec 2025 (e-Swathu 2.0) • Paper trail: PropNewz plot checklist (Aug 2026); Vault Proptech EC and title-check guides (2026); SCC Online Blog (PTCL amendment, Sep 2024); PTI via The Week (lake-buffer bill, 16 Sep 2025); Supreme Court, Suraj Lamp & Industries v State of Haryana, 11 Oct 2011 • Money: King Stubb & Kasiva (registration fee, 15 Sep 2025); HomeFirst and 1acre.in (cess and surcharge); Income Tax Department Form 141 FAQs; TaxGuru, 14 Mar 2026; BankBazaar and Ambak (plot-loan terms); RBI MPC via SCC Online Blog and CorpLawUpdates, 7 Oct 2026; Business Today, 6 Aug 2024 (LTCG) • Guidance value and land market: Udayavani (Sep 2023); Deccan Herald (~Feb 2026, Mar 2026); ANAROCK via Storyboard18 (Jan 2026) • Portals shown (screenshots 17 Oct 2026): Bhoomi, Kaveri 2.0, GBA e-Aasthi • Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Alexalan94, Gpkp, Shishirdasika; licences shown on screen). Map: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) --- Namma Bengaluru Real Estate: prices, projects and property law, every week. No lead-gen, no broker links. Sources for every stat are listed above. Education and news commentary only. Not investment, legal or tax advice. #bengaluru #realestate #plot #ekhata #bangaloreproperty