Today, On 3rd November, The Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea filed by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi seeking more time for the registration of Waqf properties on the Centre’s UMEED portal. CJI B R Gavai assured, “We will give a date.”
New Delhi: The Supreme Court agreed to schedule a hearing for a petition filed by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, which requests additional time for the mandatory registration of all Waqf properties, including those deemed ‘Waqf by user’, on the Centre’s UMEED portal.
According to media, the case was initially set for consideration on October 28 but could not be addressed then.
Advocate Nizam Pasha, representing Owaisi, brought the plea before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, asking for an urgent hearing.
The CJI responded,
“We will give a date,”
Pasha informed the bench that the six-month deadline for registration under the amended Waqf law is nearing its end.
He pointed out that while six months was allotted for registration, “five months went during the judgement, we now only have one month left.”
In an interim order issued on September 15, the Supreme Court had paused certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including the clause that restricts the creation of Waqf to individuals practicing Islam for at least five years.
However, the court chose not to suspend the entire law, maintaining the presumption of its constitutionality.
Earlier, on September 15, the Supreme Court had issued an interim order putting on hold certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including a controversial clause that restricted creating a waqf to those practising Islam for at least five years. However, the court did not stay the entire law, respecting the principle of presumption of constitutionality.
The court also observed that the government’s move to delete the “waqf by user” provision in the amended law was prima facie not arbitrary, and rejected the argument that this could result in waqf land being grabbed by governments.
For context, “waqf by user” refers to a practice where a property is recognised as a religious or charitable endowment (waqf) based on its long-term, uninterrupted use for such purposes, even if there is no formal declaration by the owner.
Previously, On June 6, the Centre launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED) portal to create a digital inventory of all waqf properties after geo-tagging them.
Under the UMEED portal guidelines, details of all registered waqf properties across India must be uploaded within six months. Owaisi’s lawyer highlighted that five months have already passed due to judicial proceedings, leaving only one month to comply with the registration deadline.
The outcome of this hearing could be critical for waqf property owners and religious endowments across India, as it may determine whether additional time will be granted for full compliance with the registration mandate.
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