Modi govt to exclude unregistered Muslim waqf properties from new central portal

New Delhi: In what many view as yet another blow to the Muslim community, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government has decided to exclude unregistered waqf properties, including those classified as ‘waqf by user’, from its upcoming Central Waqf Portal — a move that critics say could lead to the erasure of lakhs of historic Muslim endowments across India.

Expected to be launched in early June, the new portal will replace the existing Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI). But unlike WAMSI, which allowed broader inclusion, the Central Waqf Portal will enforce a rigid three-tier verification process (maker-checker-approver), requiring fresh registration of all existing entries — a bureaucratic maze that may disproportionately affect small waqf caretakers and historically recognized waqf lands maintained by usage over centuries.

The move will particularly affect over 4.2 lakh ‘waqf by user’ properties, which have been preserved through generational community use and are often unregistered due to colonial and post-colonial neglect — not due to any illegitimacy. Denying them recognition under the new system raises concerns about a deliberate effort to delegitimize Muslim community assets.

Under the new process:

•    The mutawalli (caretaker) must now act as the ‘maker’, entering data into the system;

•    A Waqf Board official will serve as the ‘checker’;

•    A government-appointed authority — not necessarily from the community — will act as the final ‘approver’.

This centralized control and discretionary power at the “approver” level opens the door to biased rejections and political interference, critics warn.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs, now tightly controlled by the central government, claims the process will ensure “transparency” — yet it provides no clarity on how traditional waqf lands will be protected or what redressal mechanisms will be in place for unjust exclusions.

Experts argue this move fits into a larger pattern of state-led encroachment on Muslim institutions — from the demolition of madrasa structures in Assam to the targeting of Urdu schools and the UCC narrative.

According to government figures, over 8.7 lakh waqf properties exist in India, spread across 39 lakh acres. With the exclusion of unregistered properties, vast swathes of Muslim community land may effectively become unprotected, opening them up to state acquisition or corporate takeover.

Even while claiming “digital modernization,” the Modi government’s Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 appears to be a tool for institutional disempowerment of Muslim endowments, critics say. The move comes amid rising concerns over the shrinking space for minority rights, and the increasing use of bureaucratic measures to weaken Muslim self-governance in religious and community affairs.

Waqf Board officials from various states participated in a training session recently — but several raised concerns informally about the lack of consultation with grassroots Muslim stakeholders.

Observers warn: “The new portal doesn’t just register properties — it redraws the legal boundary between community ownership and state control.”