UMEED Portal deadline ends: Over 50% of Waqf properties yet to be registered across India

New Delhi: The UMEED portal for the registration and digital management of Waqf properties has officially closed, completing its six-month window mandated under the UMEED Act, 1995, and reinforced by clear directions from the Supreme Court. Despite an intense final push, nearly half of India’s Waqf properties remain unregistered, raising concerns among mutawallis (caretakers) and Waqf Boards across several states.

Launched on June 6, 2025 by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development) Central Portal was designed to bring transparency, real-time verification and digital oversight to Waqf administration nationwide. The portal stopped accepting uploads at 11:59:59 pm on December 6.

According to data released by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, 5,17,040 Waqf properties were initiated on the portal during the six-month period. Of these, 2,16,905 were approved by designated approvers, while 2,13,941 remain in the pipeline, having been submitted by makers before the deadline. 10,869 properties were rejected during verification.

The Ministry noted that submissions surged dramatically as the deadline approached, bolstered by a series of review meetings, training workshops and high-level interventions, including more than 20 review sessions conducted by Chandra Shekhar Kumar, secretary of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Workshops were held across states and Union Territories, a master-trainer session was organised in Delhi, seven zonal meetings took place nationwide, and a dedicated helpline was set up to resolve technical issues faced during uploads.

Even so, the current figures highlight the scale of the task ahead. India has an estimated 8.72 lakh Waqf properties, including 4.02 lakh categorised as Waqf by users. The Ministry’s data confirms that only a portion of these have been fully processed on the portal so far.

Several states with large volumes of Waqf properties reported major challenges during the registration process. Uttar Pradesh, for instance—home to 1.4 lakh Waqf properties—managed to initiate uploads for 92,830 properties (86,345 Sunni and 6,485 Shia). Petitions submitted to the Supreme Court earlier this month highlighted difficulties such as technical problems and delays in approvals. However, the Court declined to extend the deadline, advising petitioners to approach the respective Waqf Tribunals instead.

Minister Rijiju reiterated that the six-month deadline could not be extended due to statutory provisions and the Supreme Court’s express directions. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the concerns of mutawallis and announced that no penalties or strict action will be taken for the next three months, describing the measure as humanitarian and facilitative.

The Ministry said the completion of this phase marks a major step towards a transparent, efficient and unified digital framework for Waqf governance, though the substantial number of pending properties indicates that further work and cooperation between the Centre, States and Waqf Boards will be essential.