SC Agrees To Relist Owaisi Plea On UMEED Portal

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to relist for hearing a plea filed by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi seeking an extension of time for the mandatory registration of all Waqf properties, including those categorised as “Waqf by user”, on the UMEED portal.

The apex court had earlier listed Owaisi’s plea, along with other related petitions, for hearing on October 28, but the matter could not be taken up that day.

On Monday, advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Owaisi, requested an urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, noting that the earlier date had lapsed.

“We will give a date,” the CJI said in response.

Pasha informed the court that the six-month deadline for the mandatory registration of Waqf properties was nearing its end.

In an interim order on September 15, the top court had stayed a few provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including the clause stating that only those practising Islam for at least five years could create a Waqf. However, it refused to stay the entire Act, observing that legislation carries a presumption of constitutionality.

The bench had also held that the Centre’s decision to delete the “Waqf by user” provision from the amended law was not arbitrary, saying the argument that Waqf lands could be taken over by the government “held no water.”

The term “Waqf by user” refers to properties recognised as religious or charitable endowments based on their long-term, uninterrupted use for such purposes, even in the absence of a formal written declaration by the owner.

The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal, launched by the Centre on June 6, aims to create a digital inventory of all Waqf properties across the country through geo-tagging. Under its mandate, details of all registered Waqf properties must be uploaded within six months of its launch.