Legislative Journey and Digital Implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025: UPSC Current Affairs Story Arc

Overview

This arc traces the overhaul of India's Waqf property management, beginning with the legislative passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The journey shifted from intense parliamentary debate and Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) scrutiny to a full-scale digital transformation. While the Act faced immediate pushback through violent protests in West Bengal and legal challenges in the Supreme Court over religious autonomy, the government forged ahead with the UMEED Central Portal. The mission is to replace manual, often opaque, survey systems with a geotagged, time-bound digital framework. This matters because it attempts to balance the state's secular regulatory power with the constitutional rights of religious denominations to manage their own properties.

How This Story Evolved

Parliamentary passage and Presidential assent → triggered violent protests and Supreme Court challenges → led to the launch of the UMEED portal and notification of management rules → resulted in current registration metrics and updated portal features.

1. 2025-04-02: Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to improve Waqf property management.

   Key Facts:

   • The Bill deletes Section 107 of the 1995 law, making the Limitation Act (1963) applicable to Waqf properties.
   • The Bill removes the concept of “Waqf by use,” requiring official documentation (Waqfnama) for properties continuously used as Waqf.
   • The Bill replaces the Survey Commissioner with the District Collector or other senior officers to oversee the survey of Waqf properties.
   • The Bill proposes allowing non-Muslim Chief Executive Officers and members to be appointed to state-level Waqf Boards.
   • Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 introduced in Parliament.
   • The bill intends to change the way Waqfs are managed in India.
   • The bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995.
   • The Waqf Act of 1995 contains loopholes related to the regulation of Waqf properties.
2. 2025-04-06: President Murmu Assents to Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025
   More details

   UPSC Angle: President Murmu assents to Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

   Key Facts:

   • President Droupadi Murmu assented to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
   • The Union Law Ministry released a notification regarding the assent.
   • The Act was passed by Parliament after debates in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
   • The law was initially introduced last year and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
   • BJP MP Jagdambika Pal chaired the JPC.
   • The JPC report was presented on February 13, 2025.
3. 2025-04-14: West Bengal Violence and CAPF Deployment
   More details

   UPSC Angle: West Bengal violence and CAPF deployment after Waqf Act protests.

   Key Facts:

   • Waqf: Refers to movable or immovable property
   • Waqf board: Second largest landowner in India after armed forces and railways
   • Section 40 of Waqf Act: Allows Waqf board to declare a piece of land as Waqf property
   • Murshidabad district, West Bengal
   • Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
   • 17 companies of CAPF deployed
   • Over 150 arrests
   • 23 high-ranking officers deployed
   • Waqf (Amendment) Act
4. 2025-05-20: Supreme Court Addresses Waqf Act Validity
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Supreme Court addresses petitions challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

   Key Facts:

   • Kerala government
   • Supreme Court
   • Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025
5. 2025-05-22: Supreme Court Addresses Waqf Issue
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Solicitor General stated Waqf is not essential to Islam in SC.

   Key Facts:

   • Waqf is not an essential feature of Islam, according to SG.
6. 2025-06-07: UMEED Central Portal launched for Waqf property management
   More details

   UPSC Angle: UMEED Central Portal launched for Waqf property management.

   Key Facts:

   • Launched digital platform for real-time monitoring of Waqf assets.
   • UMEED Central Portal launched on June 6, 2025
   • Launched by: Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju
   • Location: New Delhi
   • Developed under: Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act, 1995
   • Aims to digitize and streamline Waqf property governance
   • UMEED Portal: centralized digital platform for managing and registering Waqf properties
7. 2025-07-03: Ministry of Minority Affairs Notifies Unified Waqf Management Rules
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Unified Waqf Management Rules, 2025 establish digital framework for Waqf properties.

   Key Facts:

   • Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025
   • Ministry of Minority Affairs
   • Establishes a digital framework for administration of Waqf properties
   • Streamlines governance
   • Ensures transparency
   • Enables financial and legal accountability
   • Centralized portal and database
8. 2025-12-08: Waqf Property Registration Status
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Only 27% of Waqf properties registered on government portal.

   Key Facts:

   • Registered Waqf properties: 27%.
   • Digitized properties: 2.3 lakh out of 8.7 lakh.
9. 2025-12-09: New Waqf Portal Features
   More details

   UPSC Angle: New Waqf portal features time-bound registration and women-centric provisions.

   Key Facts:

   • Time-Bound Registration: All Waqf properties must be registered within 6 months of launch
   • Geotagging and Digitization: Properties must include precise measurements and geolocation data during registration
   • Unregistered properties after deadline will be declared disputed and sent to Waqf Tribunal
   • Properties under women's names cannot be designated as Waqf, but women, children, and EWS will remain eligible beneficiaries

Genesis

Trigger

The introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (passed as Act in April 2025), which sought to delete Section 107 of the 1995 law to make the Limitation Act applicable and remove 'Waqf by use'.

Why Now

The move was driven by a policy shift toward the 'digitization of land records' and addressing long-standing complaints regarding illegal occupations and title disputes in the Waqf system.

Historical Context

The Waqf Act, 1995, previously governed these properties with significant autonomy for boards, but lacked centralized transparency, leading to the 2024-25 reform push.

Key Turning Points

1. [2025-04-06] Presidential Assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025

   It solidified the legislative shift, ending the era of 'Waqf by use' and triggering state-wide administrative changes.

   Before: Waqf Boards had broad powers to declare land as Waqf; After: Power shifted significantly toward District Collectors and mandatory digital documentation.

2. [2025-06-06] Launch of the UMEED Central Portal

   Moved the conflict from the streets and Parliament to a digital registration race.

   Before: Waqf records were decentralized and often manual; After: Real-time monitoring and centralized transparency became the operational standard.

3. [2025-12-09] Notification of the 6-month registration deadline

   It set a hard 'expiry date' for the old system, declaring any unregistered property as 'disputed'.

   Before: Properties could remain unregistered for decades; After: Failure to register results in loss of designated status and referral to a Tribunal.

Key Actors and Institutions

Key Institutions

• Ministry of Minority Affairs
• Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
• Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
• Supreme Court of India
• Waqf Tribunal

Key Concepts

Waqf by Use

A legal concept where a property is considered Waqf simply because it has been used for religious/charitable purposes for a long time without a formal deed.

Current Fact: The 2025 Act removes this concept, now requiring a formal 'Waqfnama' (official documentation) for all properties.

Essential Religious Practice (ERP)

A judicial doctrine used to determine if a practice is fundamental to a religion and thus protected under Article 25/26.

Current Fact: The Solicitor General argued in the Supreme Court on May 22, 2025, that Waqf is NOT an essential feature of Islam.

Limitation Act, 1963

A law that sets time limits for filing legal claims; previously, Waqf properties were exempt from these limits under Section 107.

Current Fact: The 2025 Act deletes Section 107, making the Limitation Act applicable to Waqf property disputes for the first time.

Geotagging

The process of adding geographical identification metadata (coordinates) to digital media/records.

Current Fact: As per the December 9, 2025 updates, all Waqf properties must now include precise measurements and geolocation data during registration.

What Happens Next

Current Status

As of December 9, 2025, a strict 6-month deadline for mandatory registration has been set, with unregistered properties facing 'disputed' status and transfer to Tribunals.

Likely Next

A surge in legal filings at Waqf Tribunals is expected as the registration deadline nears; West Bengal, currently with the lowest registration rate, will be a key monitoring zone.

Wildcards

A Supreme Court ruling on whether Waqf management is a 'secular function' or an 'essential religious practice' could potentially stay or strike down the Act's provisions.

Why UPSC Cares

Syllabus Topics

• Government policies and interventions for development
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
• Fundamental Rights (Articles 25-30)
• Land Reforms in India (Digitization)

Essay Angles

• Secularism in the Digital Age: State Regulation vs. Religious Autonomy
• Land Governance: The backbone of transparent administration in modern India

Prelims Likely: Yes

Mains Likely: Yes

Trend Signal: rising

Exam Intelligence

Previous Year Question Connections

• Tests whether religious denominations have absolute power under Article 26 to manage their affairs. — The 2025 Act tests the 'absolute' nature of Article 26(d) (right to administer property in accordance with law).
• Identifies rights of religious denominations to own and acquire property. — Directly relates to the Act's new requirement for a 'Waqfnama' to prove ownership/acquisition.

Prelims Angles

• Difference between Survey Commissioner (old) and District Collector (new) roles.
• Application of the Limitation Act, 1963 to Waqf properties (deletion of Section 107).
• Conditions under which non-Muslims can be appointed as CEOs of Waqf Boards.
• Key acronym: UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development).

Mains Preparation

Sample Question: Critically examine the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in light of Article 26 of the Indian Constitution. Does the mandatory digitization and increased state oversight through District Collectors compromise the autonomy of religious denominations?

Answer Structure: Intro: Context of the 2025 Act and Article 26 -> Body 1: Positive impacts of transparency and digitization (UMEED) -> Body 2: Constitutional concerns (State interference, ERP doctrine, Article 26(d)) -> Critical Analysis: Balancing administrative reform with religious freedom -> Way Forward: Strengthening Waqf Tribunals for fair dispute resolution.

Essay Topic: Transparency as a Tool for Empowerment: Lessons from Land Record Digitization in India.

Textbook Connections

Key Takeaway

The 2025 Waqf reform represents a significant shift from 'communal autonomy' to 'secular digital governance', centralizing property oversight under the District Collector and the UMEED portal.

All Events in This Story (9 items)

1. 2025-04-02 [Polity & Governance] — Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024
   The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, amends the Waqf Act, 1995, governing Waqf property management in India. The bill aims to address loopholes, title disputes, and illegal occupations by mandating a unified digital listing of Waqf properties to enhance transparency. It also replaces the Survey Commissioner with the District Collector for Waqf property surveys.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to improve Waqf property management.

   Key Facts:

   • The Bill deletes Section 107 of the 1995 law, making the Limitation Act (1963) applicable to Waqf properties.
   • The Bill removes the concept of “Waqf by use,” requiring official documentation (Waqfnama) for properties continuously used as Waqf.
   • The Bill replaces the Survey Commissioner with the District Collector or other senior officers to oversee the survey of Waqf properties.
   • The Bill proposes allowing non-Muslim Chief Executive Officers and members to be appointed to state-level Waqf Boards.
   • Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 introduced in Parliament.
   • The bill intends to change the way Waqfs are managed in India.
   • The bill seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995.
   • The Waqf Act of 1995 contains loopholes related to the regulation of Waqf properties.
2. 2025-04-06 [Polity & Governance] — President Murmu Assents to Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025
   President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, following its passage in Parliament after debates in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The legislation, which was initially introduced last year, underwent scrutiny by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, with the committee's report presented to both Houses on February 13, 2025.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: President Murmu assents to Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

   Key Facts:

   • President Droupadi Murmu assented to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
   • The Union Law Ministry released a notification regarding the assent.
   • The Act was passed by Parliament after debates in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
   • The law was initially introduced last year and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
   • BJP MP Jagdambika Pal chaired the JPC.
   • The JPC report was presented on February 13, 2025.
3. 2025-04-14 [Polity & Governance] — West Bengal Violence and CAPF Deployment
   Following violent protests in West Bengal's Murshidabad district related to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, seventeen companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. Over 150 people were arrested, and 23 high-ranking officers from the State police and other agencies were deployed in the violence-affected district.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: West Bengal violence and CAPF deployment after Waqf Act protests.

   Key Facts:

   • Waqf: Refers to movable or immovable property
   • Waqf board: Second largest landowner in India after armed forces and railways
   • Section 40 of Waqf Act: Allows Waqf board to declare a piece of land as Waqf property
   • Murshidabad district, West Bengal
   • Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
   • 17 companies of CAPF deployed
   • Over 150 arrests
   • 23 high-ranking officers deployed
   • Waqf (Amendment) Act
4. 2025-05-20 [Polity & Governance] — Supreme Court Addresses Waqf Act Validity
   The Kerala government has approached the Supreme Court to intervene in the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Supreme Court addresses petitions challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

   Key Facts:

   • Kerala government
   • Supreme Court
   • Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025
5. 2025-05-22 [Polity & Governance] — Supreme Court Addresses Waqf Issue
   The Solicitor General stated to the Supreme Court that Waqf is not an essential feature of Islam and that Waqf boards carry out secular functions.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Solicitor General stated Waqf is not essential to Islam in SC.

   Key Facts:

   • Waqf is not an essential feature of Islam, according to SG.
6. 2025-06-07 [Schemes & Programs] — UMEED Central Portal launched for Waqf property management
   Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju launched the UMEED Central Portal on June 6, 2025, in New Delhi, developed under the UMEED Act, 1995. The portal aims to digitize, streamline, and democratize Waqf property governance across India, with a focus on benefiting poor Muslims, especially women and children.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: UMEED Central Portal launched for Waqf property management.

   Key Facts:

   • Launched digital platform for real-time monitoring of Waqf assets.
   • UMEED Central Portal launched on June 6, 2025
   • Launched by: Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju
   • Location: New Delhi
   • Developed under: Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act, 1995
   • Aims to digitize and streamline Waqf property governance
   • UMEED Portal: centralized digital platform for managing and registering Waqf properties
7. 2025-07-03 [Polity & Governance] — Ministry of Minority Affairs Notifies Unified Waqf Management Rules
   The Ministry of Minority Affairs notified the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025, establishing a digital framework for Waqf properties' administration across India. These rules aim to streamline governance, ensure transparency, and enable financial and legal accountability through a centralized portal and database.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Unified Waqf Management Rules, 2025 establish digital framework for Waqf properties.

   Key Facts:

   • Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025
   • Ministry of Minority Affairs
   • Establishes a digital framework for administration of Waqf properties
   • Streamlines governance
   • Ensures transparency
   • Enables financial and legal accountability
   • Centralized portal and database
8. 2025-12-08 [Polity & Governance] — Waqf Property Registration Status
   Only 27% of Waqf properties have been registered on the government portal, with West Bengal having the lowest registration rate. Out of 8.7 lakh properties, 2.3 lakh have been digitized under the Waqf Amendment Act 2025.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: Only 27% of Waqf properties registered on government portal.

   Key Facts:

   • Registered Waqf properties: 27%.
   • Digitized properties: 2.3 lakh out of 8.7 lakh.
9. 2025-12-09 [Polity & Governance] — New Waqf Portal Features
   A new Waqf portal features time-bound registration (6 months), geotagging and digitization, dispute resolution, user support services, and women-centric provisions. Unregistered properties after the deadline will be declared disputed and sent to the Waqf Tribunal. Properties under women's names cannot be designated as Waqf, but women, children, and EWS will remain eligible beneficiaries.
   More details

   UPSC Angle: New Waqf portal features time-bound registration and women-centric provisions.

   Key Facts:

   • Time-Bound Registration: All Waqf properties must be registered within 6 months of launch
   • Geotagging and Digitization: Properties must include precise measurements and geolocation data during registration
   • Unregistered properties after deadline will be declared disputed and sent to Waqf Tribunal
   • Properties under women's names cannot be designated as Waqf, but women, children, and EWS will remain eligible beneficiaries