Villages turned into Waqf property: Govt

As Rajya Sabha debated the Waqf Amendment Bill-2025 on Thursday, the government in its justification cited a range of cases, where whole villages have been claimed as Waqf properties.

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In the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Home Minister Amit Shah had argued that Waqf land that spanned 18 lakh acres between 1913 and 2013 grew by 21 lakh acres between 2013 and 2025. Besides, 20,000 properties leased by Waqf boards in 2013 no longer existed. “The Waqf Act, 1995, and its Amendments focus on regulating Waqf properties to ensure they are properly managed,” official sources said.

The law defines Waqf as the permanent donation of property by a Muslim for purposes considered religious, charitable or beneficial to society. Concerns have been raised about the management of these properties. The Waqf Management System of India portal — which is managed by the Minority Affairs Ministry — shows over 58,898 Waqf properties were currently illegally occupied.

There have been several cases of disputed claims by Waqf Boards. In Bihar’s Govindpur in August 2024, the Bihar Sunni Waqf Board claimed ownership of an entire village, leading to legal disputes. In Kerala in September 2024, around 600 Christian families protested after the Waqf Board claimed their ancestral land. In Gujarat, the Waqf Board declared the Surat Municipal Corporation headquarters as Waqf property.

Officials in the Minority Affairs Ministry say there are many instances of non-Muslim properties being arbitrarily declared as Waqf. In Tamil Nadu, the Waqf Board claimed the entire Thiruchenthurai village, affecting the property rights of non-Muslims. A total of 132 historical monuments were declared Waqf properties without proper documentation, they added.

Noting that Indian courts have repeatedly ruled that Waqf boards were statutory bodies responsible for property management, not religious organisations, the government sources said, “It is time for effective management of Waqf resources so that they can meet their intended purposes.”