On December 1, 2025, the Supreme Court declined to grant more time for uploading waqf property information on the Union government’s UMEED portal, ruling that it cannot alter the six-month deadline fixed under the amended Waqf Act. A Bench led by Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih said any relief must be sought individually before the designated Waqf Tribunals.
The digital platform, introduced on June 6 this year, requires every registered waqf estate—including those treated as “waqf by user”—to submit geo-tagged details within the stipulated period. The initiative is part of a wider move to digitise and centralise waqf land records across the country.
During the hearing, bodies such as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and several religious institutions argued that the process is plagued by technical errors, incomplete historic documentation, and an unrealistic timeline. Lawyers contended that many waqf deeds date back generations and cannot meet the portal’s strict data fields, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal pointing out that the system frequently rejects or fails to save submissions.
The Court nonetheless refused to intervene, noting that Parliament has already provided a statutory escape route: mutawallis may request extensions or exemptions from their respective tribunals. The Bench remarked that parties facing hurdles “can always apply” under the existing framework.
With the December 6 cutoff approaching, the decision leaves waqf managers under pressure. States with large numbers of unrecorded properties, including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, are expected to witness a surge in tribunal applications. Several states have so far managed to upload only a small portion of their total holdings.
Civil-society organisations and Muslim groups have sharply criticised the amended law, calling it an attempt to tighten state control over community endowments. They fear that failure to complete the digital registration—especially for “waqf by user” properties that lack formal papers—may trigger disputes, loss of waqf status, or even government takeover.
Across the country, thousands of mosques, dargahs, madrassas, graveyards, and charitable bodies now await tribunal decisions, hoping that procedural leeway will help safeguard properties that have served their communities for decades or centuries.
