SC Declines Urgent Listing Of Plea Against Mandatory Registration Of Waqfs On UMEED P
SC Declines Urgent Listing Of Plea Against Mandatory Registration Of Waqfs On UMEED Portal
M.U.H
22/08/202541
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to urgently list for hearing an interim plea challenging mandatory registration of all waqfs, including waqf-by-users, on the UMEED portal.
On June 6, the central government launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED) Central Portal to create a digital inventory after geo-tagging all Waqf properties.
The matter was mentioned today by a lawyer before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai. A counsel contended before the bench that the portal calls for mandatory registration of all waqfs, including waqfs by users. The lawyer said that the requirements are such that waqf-by-users cannot be registered.
The lawyer said, “We sought to file an interim application for directions, but the registry (of the apex court) is not allowing it, saying that the judgment is already reserved…” The CJI told the lawyer that the court had already reserved the order in the matter.
The lawyer submitted that the clock is ticking and the Centre has given six months for registration of the properties. The bench told the lawyer, “You register it… Nobody is refusing you the registration…” The bench said it will deal with this aspect, maybe later.
According to the mandate of the UMEED portal, details of all registered Waqf properties across India are to be mandatorily uploaded within six months. A bench led by CJI on May 22 had reserved interim orders on three key issues in the waqf case.
One of the issues relates to the power to denotify properties declared as “waqf by courts, waqf-by-user or waqf by deed” prescribed in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The top court reserved the order on various issues, including the issue of denotification of waqf properties and composition of state waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council.
The central government had defended the Act, saying waqf by its very nature was a “secular concept” and emphasised that it cannot be put on hold given the “presumption of constitutionality” in its favour.
