A total of 994 Waqf properties across the country have been reported as alienated or illegally encroached upon, with Tamil Nadu accounting for the highest number, totalling 734 such properties. This information was provided by the Union government in a written response to questions raised by Communist Party of India (Marxist) lawmaker John Brittas in Parliament. The Ministry of Minority Affairs further highlighted that, according to the Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI) portal, the country has 872,352 immovable and 16,713 movable Waqf properties registered under the Waqf Act.

“As per the information available on the WAMSI portal, 994 waqf properties have been shown as alienated,” minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said in the written reply.

Alienated properties refer to Waqf land or assets that have been transferred or encroached upon through unlawful means. In response to a query from lawmaker John Brittas, the Union government provided details on the number of Waqf properties across the country, including a state-wise breakdown. Brittas had specifically inquired about the concerns regarding Waqf properties that have been unlawfully alienated, along with details of such properties.

“Section 51(1-A) of the Waqf Act provides that any sale, gift, exchange, mortgage or transfer of the waqf property shall be void ab initio. Additionally, Section 52 of the Waqf Act states that if the (Waqf) Board, after conducting any inquiry in the prescribed manner, determines that any Waqf property has been alienated, it may send a requisition to the Collector, within whose jurisdiction the property is located, to take possession of the property and deliver it to the Board,” the minister said in the reply.

The Ministry further reported that Tamil Nadu accounted for the highest number of alienated Waqf properties, with 734 out of the total 994 such properties nationwide. Other states with significant figures included Andhra Pradesh with 152, Punjab with 63, Uttarakhand with 11 and Jammu and Kashmir with 10 alienated properties.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that no land has been provided by the Centre to the Waqf Board since 2019. In response to a question from Rajya Sabha member Mithlesh Kumar regarding the total area of land provided to the Waqf Board by both the Central and state governments from 2019 onwards, Minister of State Tokhan Sahu clarified that land is a state subject, and as a result, no data on land provided by state governments is available with the ministry.

He, however, added that as far as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is concerned, “no land has been provided by the Government of India to Waqf Board since 2019.”

In August of this year, the Union government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and referred it to a joint parliamentary committee for further deliberation. The committee, chaired by senior BJP lawmaker Jagdambika Pal, has been granted an extension until the last week of the Budget Session next year to submit its report.