Supreme Court agrees to hear on December 1 pleas for extension of time for registration of Waqf properties

The Supreme Court on Friday (November 28, 2025) agreed to hear various pleas filed by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on December 1, seeking extension of time for mandatory registration of all waqf properties, including ‘waqf by user’, under the UMEED portal.

The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, took note of the submissions of advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi, appearing on behalf of one of the petitioners, that the pleas should be listed for hearing immediately.

Also read | Land law: about jurisdiction and foundation changes

“List these applications along with IA Number dated 01 December 2025,” the Bench said.

Along with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and others had approached the top court seeking extension of time for compulsory registration of all waqf properties.

A lawyer had previously said that the six-month period for compulsory registration of foundations was nearing its end.

The apex court, in an interim order on September 15, suspended several key provisions of the Foundation (Amendment) Act, 2025; These included a provision that only those who have practiced Islam for the last five years could establish foundations, but refused to repeal the entire law, framing it in favor of the presumption of constitutionality.

It also held that the Centre’s order to delete the ‘waqf by user’ provision in the newly amended law was not prima facie arbitrary and that the allegation that waqf lands would be taken over by governments was “not valid”.

‘Foundation by occupier’ refers to a practice whereby a property is recognized as a religious or charitable endowment (endowment) based on its uninterrupted long-term use for such purposes, even in the absence of a formal, written declaration of the Foundation by the owner.

The Center launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act central portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory after geo-tagging all waqf properties.

As per the instructions of UMEED portal, details of all registered trust properties across India will be mandatorily uploaded within six months.