A high-level delegation of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) met Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi on 11 December 2025, presenting a detailed memorandum on the challenges faced by the Muslim community in uploading waqf properties on the UMEED Portal. The delegation sought urgent intervention and a one-year extension to the existing deadlines, citing technical, procedural, and legal hurdles that have made timely compliance nearly impossible.
The delegation began by explaining that the current system of uploading registered waqf properties on the UMEED platform has created serious difficulties, with lakhs of properties still pending registration. They argued that the responsibility for uploading already registered waqf properties should have ideally been assigned to the respective Waqf Boards, which possess the original records. Considering the volume of data and complexities involved, the delegation said the community should have been given at least two years, rather than the six months mandated under Section 3B of the amended Waqf Act/UMEED Act.
The representatives detailed a series of technical glitches, server issues, data mismatches, and procedural ambiguities that users faced on the portal. These challenges were not isolated; several state Waqf Boards, including Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, approached the Tribunal seeking deadline extensions. The Tribunal granted relief, indicating that even official bodies with dedicated staff could not meet the deadline. This, according to the AIMPLB, clearly demonstrates that the six-month timeline was “extremely short, impractical, and unrealistic.” In light of these experiences, the delegation urged the Ministry to extend the deadline for at least one more year to prevent an excessive burden on mutawallis and to ensure orderly and accurate data submission.
The AIMPLB also pointed out a major discrepancy between the dates mentioned in the Act and the operational timeline of the portal. They clarified that while the portal was launched on 06 June 2025, the UMEED Rules were officially notified only on 03 July 2025. Importantly, the mandatory declaration forms, required from both Waqf Board CEOs and mutawallis were also notified on the same date. This means that the actual procedural framework became available nearly a month after the portal went live. Hence, they argued, the launch date cannot be considered the “date of commencement” for the purposes of calculating the statutory timeline.
The delegation stressed that the community and Waqf institutions are making sincere efforts to complete the uploading process, and a reasonable extension would greatly reduce the need for repeated Tribunal interventions. They also invoked Section 113 of the Waqf Act/UMEED Act, 1995, which empowers the Central Government to issue orders to address difficulties encountered during implementation. Using this provision, they urged the Minister to issue immediate directions extending the deadline and resolving procedural bottlenecks.
Throughout the meeting, Minister Kiren Rijiju listened attentively and acknowledged the concerns raised. He assured the AIMPLB delegation that the Ministry would “very soon” work towards resolving the highlighted issues and ensuring smoother implementation of the UMEED framework.
The delegation comprised several prominent personalities, including AIMPLB Vice President Mr. Syed Sadatullah Husaini; General Secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi; Member of Parliament Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi; former MP Mr. Mohammad Adeeb; Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind leaders Maulana Muhammad Hakimuddin Qasmi and Mufti Abdur Raziq; and Board members Mr. Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi (Advocate), Mr. Hakeem Muhammad Tahir (Advocate), and Ms. Nabila Jamil (Advocate).
The statement was issued by Dr. Mohd. Vaquar Uddin Latifi, Office Secretary of the AIMPLB.
