Supreme Court Declines to Extend Deadline for Waqf Property Registration on Umeed Portal

The Supreme Court of India on Monday declined to extend the six-month deadline for uploading Waqf property details on the Umeed portal, ruling that applicants must seek relief directly from the respective Waqf Tribunals.

A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih said the court could not rewrite the Waqf Act to relax the statutory timeline. The judges noted that any difficulties—including technical issues related to digitisation—could be assessed by tribunals while deciding case-by-case extensions.

“Approach the tribunal. Let them decide case-to-case. We can’t rewrite the Waqf Act. The statute already provides a remedy. Avail it,” the bench said.

Launched on June 6, the Umeed (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development) portal is part of the Centre’s move to create a digital, geo-tagged inventory of all Waqf properties across India. As per Section 3B of the amended Waqf Act, every registered Waqf must upload its property details within six months—making the final deadline December 6, 2025.

Arguments in Court

Appearing for petitioners, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued that the six-month window was too short, particularly for older Waqfs where documentation is scarce. “We don’t know the Waqif for Waqfs that are 100–125 years old. Without these details, the portal won’t accept the entry,” he said, adding that requiring nearly one million muttawallis to file tribunal applications would be an unreasonable burden.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, countered that the law itself allows individual Waqf bodies to seek extensions from tribunals if needed.

The Supreme Court agreed with the government’s view, stating:
“Since the remedy before the tribunal is available, all applicants are free to approach the Tribunal by the last date of the six-month period.”

Background and Legal Context

The Centre’s recent amendments to the Waqf Act have triggered strong objections from several Muslim organisations and opposition parties. In September, the Supreme Court stayed certain contentious clauses—such as the five-year minimum requirement of practising Islam to create a Waqf—but allowed the property registration mandate to remain operational.

With the apex court declining to intervene further, Waqf bodies must now complete the digital registration process on the Umeed portal within the statutory deadline or seek individual extensions from tribunals before December 6.