Rijiju: No new deadline for Waqf registration, no penalties for 3 months
Rijiju stressed that those mutawallis who have not registered on the portal at all can approach their respective Waqf tribunals
New Delhi: Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday ruled out extending the deadline for registering Waqf properties on the UMEED portal but said his ministry, recognising the concerns of ‘mutawallis’ or Waqf property caretakers, will not impose any penalty or take strict action for the next three months as a humanitarian and facilitative measure. He also said that 151,000 properties had been registered by Friday morning.
Rijiju stressed that those mutawallis who have not registered on the portal at all can approach their respective Waqf tribunals. The Centre launched The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Act central portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory.
According to the provisions of the portal, details of all registered Waqf properties across the country must be uploaded within six months. The six-month deadline for registration ends at 11:59pm on December 6. The six-month deadline mandated under Waqf Amendment Act cannot be extended due to the provisions of the Act, and clear directions of the Supreme Court, the minister said.
However, recognising the concerns of ‘mutawallis’, the minister assured that the ministry will not impose any penalties or take strict action for the next three months as a “humanitarian and facilitative measure”. “Mutawallis who are unable to complete registration process by 11:59:59 pm on 6th December, 2025 can approach the Waqf Tribunal, which has the legal authority to grant an extension. The minister has repeatedly emphasised that any change in the legally mandated timeline is not possible, as it is bound by the law passed by Parliament and upheld by the Supreme Court. The minister’s statement is therefore fully consistent with the law,” the ministry said.
