The Supreme Court will hear petitions on December 1 seeking more time for mandatory registration of all Waqf properties on the UMEED portal. The pleas challenge the strict deadline under the amended Waqf Act, 2025, fearing risk to ‘waqf by user’ properties.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday agreed to urgently hear several petitions seeking more time for the compulsory registration of all waqf properties across the country, including those classified as ‘waqf by user’, on the government’s UMEED portal.
Among the main petitioners is the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), along with AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and other concerned parties, who have moved the apex court fearing that the existing deadline will negatively affect thousands of waqf properties.
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A bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih took serious note of the submissions made by advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, who pointed out that the matter required immediate attention as the six-month timeline for mandatory registration is nearing its end.
Accepting the urgency, the bench passed directions for listing the matter soon and stated,
“List these applications along with I.A. No…on December 01, 2025,”
making it clear that the court will hear all connected pleas together on the scheduled date.
The petitions challenge the strict deadline imposed under the newly amended Waqf Act, 2025, which makes it compulsory for all waqf properties to be registered and uploaded on the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal.
This portal was launched by the Central Government on June 6 to create a comprehensive digital database of waqf properties after geo-tagging them, with the intention of improving transparency, management and accountability.
However, the petitioners argue that the process is complex, especially for properties recognised under the concept of ‘waqf by user’.
This refers to land or property that has been used continuously for religious or charitable purposes over a long period, even though no formal written declaration exists. Many such properties, they claim, may face legal uncertainty if the deadline is not extended.
Earlier, in an important interim order dated September 15, the Supreme Court had already stayed certain key provisions of the Waqf Act, 2025.
These included the condition that only individuals who have been practising Islam for at least five years can create a waqf. Despite this, the court refused to halt the entire law, stating that there is a presumption of constitutionality in its favour.
The bench also addressed concerns raised by petitioners that removing the ‘waqf by user’ provision could allow governments to take over such lands unfairly.
Rejecting this argument at the preliminary stage, the court observed that the Centre’s decision to delete the provision was prima facie reasonable and said the claim that waqf lands would be forcibly taken had “no water”.
According to the government’s mandate, all details of waqf properties registered across India must be uploaded on the UMEED portal within six months.
With the deadline fast approaching, stakeholders have urged the Supreme Court to grant more time to ensure that genuine waqf properties are not excluded due to procedural difficulties or lack of documentation.
The upcoming hearing on December 1, 2025, is now expected to play a crucial role in determining whether the timeline for compulsory waqf registration will be extended, offering relief to thousands of religious and charitable institutions across the country.
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