Supreme Court Asks Waqfs To Approach Tribunals To Extend Time To Upload Details On UMEED Portal

The Supreme Court on Monday (December 1) refused to pass orders to extend the time limit for the uploading of the Waqf property details in the UMEED portal, noting that Section 3B of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act has given powers to the Waqf Tribunals to extend the time in appropriate cases.A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Augustine George Masih disposed of the applications, allowing the applicants to approach the respective Tribunals before the deadline.At the outset, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, for the applicants, submitted, "The amendment came into effect on 8th of April. The portal was created only on 6th of June, and the Rules were framed only on 3rd of July and the judgment(on plea to stay the Waqf Amendment Act) on the 15th of September. The 6 month time is very less, because we don't know the details. We don't know who the waqif is for waqfs of 100, 125 years old. Without these details, the portal won't accept."Senior Advcoate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted that the portal has various glitches. Undertaking to comply with the registration requirements, Singhvi said that they are only seeking time.Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta submitted that as per the proviso to Section 3B of the Act, the Tribunal can extend the time for registration. SG submitted that the Waqfs can go to the Tribunal and seek an extension on a case-to-case basis. Sibal replied that this would mean that 10 lakh muttawallis will have to file separate applications before the Tribunals for extension. SG said that December 6 would be the deadline as the portal came into operation on June 6."If it is a 100-year-old waqf, how will anybody know the deed of the waqf to upload?" Sibal asked.The bench said that the Tribunal can be approached in such cases. "If the portal is functional, as per the Solicitor says, which is disputed by you, then you must show some materials," Justice Datta said. Sibal said that he will hand over a note showing the glitches in the portal. Countering this, SG said that several waqfs have already been registered. SG argued that the mandate for registration was there since the 1923 Act and that the interim order had refused to extend the time, considering this aspect. In this context, Senior Advocate MR Shamshad submitted that the issue was not with respect to registration, but the digitisation of the registered properties. As per Section 3B, only the registered Waqfs can upload the details, he underscored. He argued that the issue of digitisation as mandated by Section 3B was not considered by the interim order.Another counsel argued that since the States have not complied with the mandate of completing the survey of waqf properties in terms of Section 4, the mandate for registration cannot be enforced.Advocte Nizam Pasha submitted that as per the Act, the six months' time for registration commenced from the date of the amendment, and it is already over on October 10. The Solicitor submitted that he has received instructions that the deadline is December 6. Pasha urged that since the Government has extended the timeline once, it can be further directed to give another extension, given the practical difficulties.When the bench asked whether it could now extend the time when the previous bench declined to extend the time in its interim order, the applicants submitted that the interim order only dealt with the issue of 'registration' and that the present issue was 'digitisation.'Senior Advocate PV Surendranath submitted that the Kerala State Waqf Board itself has filed an application saying that it was difficult to complete the formalities in the portal. Senior Advocate Rauf Rahim also appeared for various parties The bench, declining to pass directions to extend the timeline, disposed of the applications by observing :"Our attention has been drawn to the proviso to Section 3B. Since the remedy before the Tribunal is available before the applicants, we dispose of all the applications by granting them liberty to approach the Tribunal by the last date of the 6 month period as prescribed under section 3B(1)"The case arises out of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 which introduced mandatory registration of all waqf properties – Including properties classified as “waqf by user” – on the government's digital portal known as UMEED portal.Several parties, including All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, have moved the Court seeking extension of time for completing the mandatory registration under the new law.In its interim order dated September 15, 2025, the Court stayed only specific provisions of the amended law, such as the requirement of a five-year practice of Islam for creating waqf, and certain powers on property disputes, but declined to stay the provision making registration mandatory.Section 3B of the amended Act requires every waqf registered prior to the amendment to upload details of the waqf and its properties...

Supreme Court Asks Waqfs To Approach Tribunals To Extend Time To Upload Details On UMEED Portal

Amisha Shrivastava

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