waqf properties

Madhya Pradesh High Court has reserved its decision on the religious character of the Bhojshala complex in Dhar district. Hindus claim it's a temple to Goddess Vagdevi, while Muslims assert it's the Kamal Maula mosque. Security has been heightened as the court prepares to deliver its verdict after extensive hearings.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ruled two Kishtwar shrines and their properties as waqf, denying ownership rights to petitioners claiming hereditary custodianship. The court emphasized that property titles must be based on evidence, not public history, dismissing reliance on historical texts for ownership claims.

Decision Taken In State Cabinet Meeting

Decades-long Marxists and Congress supporters in Kerala's Munambam are switching allegiance to the BJP due to a protracted Waqf land claim dispute. Protesters, including a 77-year-old woman, have endured nearly 250 days of hunger strike, feeling betrayed by traditional parties. This desperation led to a BJP victory in a local election, signaling a potential shift in the region's political landscape.

A descendant of Kamal Maulana Chisti has filed an intervention application in the Indore High Court regarding the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque dispute. Qazi Moinuddin, claiming to be the hereditary custodian, asserted his rights as a necessary party. The court granted him the right to be heard on April 2, alongside other applications, despite objections regarding his standing.

A mechanic was brutally beaten to death by a group with a cricket bat and logs near Wilson Garden, allegedly over protection money demands and a dispute concerning his shop's concrete roof construction. Seven individuals have been arrested following the violent incident that occurred in front of the victim's children. Police are investigating the exact circumstances.

The government has tasked IIT-Delhi with a sample survey of waqf properties due to severely lacking survey data, despite ongoing digitisation efforts. The assessment report, expected in two months, will help create a standardised survey template for states to improve data collection and management.

Six years after the waqf properties Lease (Amendment) Rules, 2014, was enforced, the state government approved a proposal to hike the monthly rent for a waqf property in Bhuleshwar in south Mumbai.

The upcoming Central Waqf Portal, slated for launch in early June, will replace the existing WAMSI system with a more secure, three-tier verification process for waqf property data. Unregistered 'waqf by user' properties will be excluded initially. The new system, under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, aims to enhance transparency and accuracy in managing over 8.

IIT-Delhi will survey all waqf properties in Telangana to identify boundaries and prevent further encroachments, covering 77,538 acres of agricultural land. The Telangana Waqf Board reported significant land encroachments. This survey aims to assist in stopping registrations and encroachments by updating revenue records. Urban properties will also be addressed through municipal authority support.

The Gujarat State Waqf Board has declared that the Muglisara (Mughalsarai) building, which is the headquarters of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), is a waqf property. It has ordered that the building be registered as a waqf property.

Gonda and Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh have the most waqf properties, while Rampur has the highest government land under waqf, claims UP government officials. Gonda leads with 6,128 waqf estates, followed by Barabanki with 5,029. There are disputes over waqf properties, including government land, and pending cases with Indian Railways.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defends the upcoming 'UMEED' Central Portal for waqf properties, asserting its legality and alignment with the Constitution. He dismisses concerns raised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, emphasizing the portal's role in enhancing waqf management through accountability and transparency.

The move is aimed at verifying if government property has been encroached upon after getting it listed as Waqf land. Government will also re-examine all the cases registered as Waqf property after April 7 1989.

To maintain a proper record of the waqf properties in the state and keep them free from encroachments, the government is set to carry out videography of these properties for their physical verification and condition.

Union minority welfare minister Nazma Heptullah said on Thursday that her department is pursuing it hard, putting emphasis on the registration and digitization of Waqf property.