The Centre has notified the Unified Waqf Management Rules, 2025, introducing a centralized digital portal for waqf properties
Legal Limbo: SC Reserves Verdict, Centre Moves Forward
Centre’s Bold Waqf Overhaul – On July 3, 2025, the Union Government notified the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025, under the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. This came even as the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Act.
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The apex court, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, concluded hearings on May 22 and is expected to deliver its judgment later this month. Petitioners have raised concerns over provisions that allegedly violate property rights, lack due process, and grant excessive powers to Waqf Boards.
Despite the legal uncertainty, the Centre has gone ahead with implementing the rules, citing the need for transparency, efficiency, and modernization in waqf administration. Critics, however, argue that the move preempts judicial review and could undermine the court’s authority.
Digital Overhaul: What the New Waqf Rules Mandate
The newly notified rules aim to digitize and centralize the management of waqf properties across India. Key features include:
- Centralized Portal & Database: A national platform will be created to register, track, and audit waqf properties. Each waqf and its associated assets will receive a unique identification number.
- Mandatory Mutawalli Registration: Every mutawalli (caretaker) must enroll using their mobile number and email, verified via OTP. Only after registration can they upload property details.
- State-Level Nodal Officers: Each state must appoint a Joint Secretary-rank officer as a nodal point and establish a Centralized Support Unit to assist with data uploads, audits, and compliance.
- Time-Bound Inquiries: Any inquiry into wrongful declaration of waqf property must be completed within one year of reference by the District Collector.
- Welfare Provisions: The rules include guidelines for providing financial support to widows, divorced women, and orphans from waqf income, where no legal heirs exist.
- Transparency Mandates: States must publish a gazette list of auqaf (waqf properties) with details like boundaries, usage, creator, and current management. This list must be uploaded to the portal within 90 days.
The rules are framed under Section 108B of the Waqf Act, a new provision inserted by the 2025 amendment, which empowers the Centre to regulate waqf asset management, audits, and welfare disbursements.
Waqf Overhaul or Overreach? The Debate Intensifies
The Centre’s move has reignited a national debate on religious endowment governance, federalism, and judicial propriety.
Supporters argue:
- The digital overhaul will curb encroachments, prevent fraud, and streamline audits.
- A centralized system ensures uniformity across states, many of which have inconsistent waqf records.
- Welfare provisions reflect a progressive approach to using waqf income for social justice.
Critics counter:
- The timing is questionable, as the Act’s legality is still under judicial review.
- The rules could centralize too much power in the hands of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, bypassing state autonomy.
- Mandatory digital registration may exclude smaller waqfs or mutawallis unfamiliar with tech platforms.
The Supreme Court itself has raised probing questions during hearings, including whether Muslims can be part of Hindu endowment boards if the reverse is allowed under the Waqf Act a query that underscores the constitutional complexity of religious property governance.
As India awaits the Supreme Court’s verdict, the Centre’s notification of the Waqf Rules 2025 sets the stage for a potential legal and political showdown. Whether this is a bold step toward reform or a premature assertion of executive authority will depend on how the judiciary weighs the balance between efficiency and constitutionality.
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