By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 May: The Uttarakhand government has intensified scrutiny of land records relating to Waqf properties across the state amid reports that a large number of properties registered with the Waqf Board have not been declared on the Centre’s “UMEED Portal”. This has raised serious questions over ownership documents and the legality of such properties.
According to sources in the government, dozens of properties recorded with the Waqf Board in Uttarakhand till remain unregistered on the UMEED Portal launched by the Union Government for mandatory online registration and verification of Waqf assets. Sources indicate that one of the major reasons behind the non-registration of several such properties is the alleged absence of valid ownership documents with the occupants or caretakers concerned. It is also being claimed in official circles that many such properties may have been constructed after encroaching upon government or private land and were subsequently registered as Waqf properties.
Under the revised rules framed by the Government of India regarding Waqf properties, all the caretakers and mutawallis were required to upload details, documentary records and supporting evidence related to Waqf properties on the UMEED Portal by 6 December, 2025. Both the Central and state governments had conducted training programmes for mutawallis and stakeholders to familiarise them with the online registration process and documentation requirements.
While a large number of properties were uploaded across the country, many still remain unregistered even after the expiry of the original deadline. The Centre subsequently extended the deadline by another three months and directed that the complete details of all Waqf properties be uploaded on the portal by 6 February, 2026. However, despite the extension, a substantial number of properties are still stated to be absent from the portal records.
According to official data in Uttarakhand, a total of 7,288 properties had been identified under various Waqf-related categories in the state. Of these, 2,105 were categorised as Auqaf properties, while the remaining 5,388 properties included graveyards, Eidgahs, mosques, madrasas, shrines, Imambaras, schools and other religious establishments. However, only 1,597 properties have reportedly been formally approved and registered so far, while details of only 2,105 Auqaf properties have been uploaded on the UMEED Portal.
This effectively means that details relating to 3,791 properties falling under the categories of mosques, madrasas, Eidgahs, shrines and similar establishments, besides 841 Auqaf properties, have not yet been uploaded on the portal by the concerned occupants or managers.
The issue has now triggered a wider debate over the reasons behind the non-disclosure of these properties despite repeated directions from both the Supreme Court and the Government of India regarding documentation and disclosure of Waqf assets. The officials and political observers familiar with the matter claim that in several cases, religious structures such as Islamic centres, madrasas, mosques and shrines have been allegedly established on encroached government land and later registered under Waqf records. Now, with the portal requiring submission of documentary proof and land ownership records, those associated with such properties are reportedly unable to furnish valid documents.
Under established Waqf principles, Waqf or Auqaf property refers to land or assets donated for charitable and religious purposes, with income generated from such properties meant for welfare activities and assistance to the poor. Significantly the sources remind that after the creation of Uttarakhand state, the number of Waqf properties in Uttarakhand reportedly witnessed an increase of nearly two-and-a-half times, indicating a need for a closer scrutiny by the authorities.
Some officials have also acknowledged that in a few cases, the failure to upload details on the portal may have occurred due to lack of awareness or familiarity with the online process. However, this explanation is being questioned in administrative circles on the grounds that both the government and several Muslim advocates had actively assisted stakeholders through training and awareness programmes regarding the registration procedure.
The issue has now assumed significance because uncertainty remains over the legal status of those properties which have not been declared on the portal within the prescribed period. Uttarakhand Minority Affairs Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate stated that any such properties which remain undeclared could be treated as illegal encroachments and vested in the government.
Dhakate said that if details relating to Waqf properties are not uploaded on the UMEED Portal by 5 June, the government would initiate action treating such properties as unauthorised occupations. He further stated that the government has already begun examining land records relating to those properties whose details have not been uploaded on the portal.
It may also be recalled that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also indicated that both the Centre and the state government had already provided sufficient time and opportunity for registration of Waqf properties on the UMEED Portal. He said that if property holders still fail to register such assets, they would have to face the stringent provisions laid down by the government, including the possibility of vesting of such properties in the government.
