Supreme Court Denies Waqf Property Digitization Deadline Extension

Amid ongoing debate over waqf properties in India, a major decision from the Supreme Court has drawn national attention.

The court has declined to extend the deadline for uploading details of all waqf assets to the UMMID portal, a mandate which many prominent groups and individuals had been seeking additional time for.

The authorities have placed the digital-upload deadline as 5 December, and failure to comply could result in penalties. As per the legislative framework, non-submission may incur up to six months of imprisonment along with monetary sanctions.

Moreover, any waqf property not registered on the portal within the allowed period will automatically lose its waqf status, and recognition can only be restored through tribunal orders.

Petitioners contended that collating and uploading details of thousands of waqf assets across the country within a fixed time frame is impossible. Many land papers are out of date, several states still have incomplete records, and new surveys may be needed to reorganize the data.

All such petitions were rejected by the court, which made it plain that the deadline would not be changed and that applicants should contact the tribunal instead of requesting judicial relaxation.

Earlier, an attempt to suspend the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 was similarly unsuccessful, but a few parts were temporarily limited. Now, the basic question for many remains - what exactly is the UMMID portal?

Launched in June, the platform intends to create a consolidated and transparent digital database of waqf land across India.

Through geo-tagging, the system is supposed to publicly show real-time information on ownership, location, and usage to prevent manipulation and disputes.

The government claims that this move is important due to frequent reports of encroachment, missing paperwork, and exploitation of these properties.

Organizations associated to waqf administration claim that accumulating such comprehensive data so rapidly is almost impossible, particularly for rural holdings where documentation has stayed untouched for decades.

New surveys may be needed in many regions, making timely completion challenging.

Despite these concerns, the court has stayed steadfast – the deadline stands. In order to avoid legal repercussions and losing their recognized waqf status, institutions must now expedite their documentation process.