Source Bar and bench
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday declined to grant a general extension to the six-month deadline for the mandatory registration and uploading of details of Waqf properties onto the central UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development) portal.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, while hearing applications filed by bodies including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and political leaders, firmly instructed the petitioners to approach the relevant Waqf Tribunals for relief on a case-by-case basis before the December 6 deadline.
No Intervention on UMEED Portal Issues
The apex court refused to directly examine the concerns raised by the applicants regarding technical glitches and operational issues with the UMEED portal.
Petitioners, represented by senior advocates like Kapil Sibal and A.M. Singhvi, had argued that the six-month period—set from the portal’s operational date of June 6, 2025—was insufficient due to:
Technical Faults: Difficulties with the portal, including non-compatibility with some browsers, and system errors that prevent data submission.
Data Challenges: The inability to furnish all mandatory details, such as the exact date of establishment or the identity of the Waqif (endower), for centuries-old properties.
Digitization Delays: Concerns that the time taken for tribunals to consider applications would exceed the cut-off date.
The bench, however, noted that the statutory provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, itself contain a mechanism for seeking an extension from the Waqf Tribunal.
“Since the remedy before the Tribunal is available before the applicants, we dispose of all the applications by granting them liberty to approach the Tribunal by the last date of the six month period,” the Court stated.
Tribunal to Handle “Genuine Difficulties”
The Supreme Court made it clear that any applicant facing a genuine difficulty in registering or digitising their property due to technical failures or lack of records can seek redressal from the Tribunal.
“If the time freezes [in the Portal], you cannot be held responsible. If the Tribunal allows you, your six months will be counted and your application will be considered,” the bench observed, signalling that Tribunals have the authority to process such cases.
The order places the immediate onus on property managers and Waqf Boards to aggressively pursue extensions from the lower judicial bodies before the impending deadline of December 6, 2025. The Court had previously declined to stay the mandatory registration clause of the amended Act in an interim order issued on September 15, 2025.
Next Steps for Waqf Boards
Following the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant a general extension, Waqf Boards and Mutawallis across the country must now:
File applications before the appropriate Waqf Tribunal by December 6, 2025.
Document and present evidence of all technical or documentary difficulties encountered with the UMEED portal.
The move by the Supreme Court ensures that the statutory registration process under the new Act remains on track, while individual grievances are relegated to the specialised Tribunals for case-by-case resolution.
