The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant more time for the mandatory registration of all waqf properties — including those claimed as waqf by user — on the Union government’s UMEED portal. The court said that those seeking relief must approach the concerned Waqf Tribunals before the statutory deadline expires.
A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih noted that the statutory scheme already provides an avenue for grievances. “Our attention has been drawn to the proviso to Section 3B. Since the remedy before the tribunal is available before the applicants, we dispose of all the applications by granting them liberty to approach the tribunal by the last date of the six month period,” the Bench said.
The applications — filed by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and several others — had sought an extension of the six-month period mandated for uploading details of all waqf properties on the UMEED portal.
The court was informed earlier that the deadline was approaching, prompting the petitioners to seek an interim extension.
On September 15, the Supreme Court had passed an interim order staying a few provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. This included the clause restricting the creation of waqf to individuals who had practised Islam for at least five years. However, the court declined to stay the entire statute, reiterating the presumption of constitutionality in favour of legislation.
It also held that the Union government’s decision to delete the waqf by user provision under the amended law was prima facie not arbitrary. The Bench rejected arguments that such changes would enable the government to take over waqf lands, saying the contention “held no water”.
Waqf by user refers to a property recognised as waqf based on its long-standing use for religious or charitable purposes, even without a formal declaration by the owner.
The Centre launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) central portal on June 6 to create a comprehensive digital record after geo-tagging all waqf properties.
Under the mandate, all registered waqf properties across the country must be uploaded onto the portal within six months.
