The Union government informed Parliament on Monday that a total of 994 Waqf properties across the country have been illegally encroached upon or alienated. Tamil Nadu alone accounts for the highest number, with 734 such properties. This information was shared by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in response to questions posed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) lawmaker John Brittas.
In a written reply, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju detailed that there are 872,352 immovable and 16,713 movable Waqf properties registered under the Waqf Act, according to the Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI) portal. Out of these, 994 properties are reported as “alienated,” a term that refers to properties transferred or encroached upon through illegal means.
The Minister further clarified that under Section 51(1-A) of the Waqf Act, any sale, gift, exchange, mortgage, or transfer of Waqf property is considered void. If any property is found to be unlawfully alienated, the Waqf Board can request the local Collector to take possession of the property and return it to the Board.
The government’s response also provided a state-wise breakdown of alienated properties. Tamil Nadu leads with 734 alienated Waqf properties, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 152, Punjab with 63, Uttarakhand with 11, and Jammu and Kashmir with 10.
Additionally, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that no land has been allocated to the Waqf Board by the Centre since 2019. In response to a question from Rajya Sabha member Mithlesh Kumar, Minister of State Tokhan Sahu explained that land is a state matter, and no data on land provided by state governments is available with the ministry. However, he confirmed that the central government has not provided any land to the Waqf Board since 2019.
In related developments, the Union government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in August 2024, which has been referred to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for further examination. The JPC, chaired by senior BJP leader Jagdambika Pal, has been granted an extension to submit its report by the end of the Budget Session next year.
