The Ministry of Minority Affairs has released new data tracking the progress of Waqf property registrations, showing more than 5.17 lakh Waqf properties have been initiated for registration at the UMEED portal.
The registrations were given a six-month deadline, resulting in the approval of 2,16,905 properties.
The Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju launched the UMEED Central Portal on June 6 and stopped accepting applications post midnight on December 6, as per the UMEED Act, 1995 and instructions from the Supreme Court.
Of the 5.17 lakh Waqf properties initiated, a total of 2.16 lakh have been registered on the portal, approximately 27 percent of India’s 8 lakh properties.
The progress report also noted that 10,872 were rejected.
Karnataka recorded highest completed registrations at 52,917 (81 percent) followed by Jammu & Kashmir with 25,046 (77 percent), Punjab with 24,969 (90 percent) and Gujarat with 24,130 (61 percent).
Uttar Pradesh has registered only 789 registrations at 5 percent under the Shia Board and completed 12,982, at 11 percent under the Sunni Board, a notably low rate given its holding of the largest number of Waqf properties. Bihar is the only other state with two different boards.
However, West Bengal recorded the lowest, with a limited number of 716 registrations on the UMEED portal out of 80,480 properties, a meagre 0.89 percent. The Trinamool Congress-led government had initially refused to implement the Waqf (Amendment) Act before ultimately instructing officials to upload details on UMEED.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra has achieved a nearly 50 percent registration rate for its Waqf properties, 17,971 out of 36,700, coming at 48 percent.
“In the final count, the momentum significantly accelerated as the deadline approached,” the ministry said.
Karnataka Waqf Board Chairman Syed Muhammad Ali Hussain, on the highest number of completed registrations, said, “It was a big task. After the Supreme Court order, the work started. Karnataka is a major stakeholder in Waqf properties, and its board has always been quite organised and well managed. It was a very important and time-bound exercise, and we uploaded it in a highly structured manner after all the discussions with the concerned officers.”
The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Portal was created to centralise and create a geo-tagged digital database of properties to enhance management and transparency.
However, not all states had a smooth time uploading the registrations.
Mutawallis (custodians) and Waqf Boards complained of the portal crashing repeatedly and missing documents for ancient properties, along with erratic land management systems across the country.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board sought an urgent meeting with the minister of minority affairs regarding the frequent crashes and slow performance of the government portal being used to upload the Waqf property records.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Friday a three-month penalty-free window for individuals who missed the recent deadline. He noted that they can seek extensions from the state Waqf Tribunals, which are authorised to grant such relief.
Waqf Board officials are now expected to file extension requests with their respective tribunals following the Minister’s announcement. The process for property registration on UMEED comprises three distinct stages: initial submission by mutawallis, verification by Waqf Board officials, and final approval by Waqf Board CEOs.
India has 8.8 lakh Waqf properties nationwide. Uttar Pradesh holds the largest share, encompassing 2.4 lakh Sunni and Shia properties. Followed by West Bengal with 80,480 properties, Punjab with 75,511, Tamil Nadu with 66,092, and Karnataka with 65,242.
This post was last modified on December 8, 2025 7:06 pm