Waqf Property: According to government data, Waqf has about 9.4 lakh acres of land, which is third in India after the Ministry of Defense and Railways. Many of these properties are under encroachment and dispute. Most of the properties are in the name of Uttar Pradesh and graveyards
Waqf Property: After being passed in the Lok Sabha, the ‘Waqf Amendment Bill’ has now been passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. But along with this, a question is also arising in the minds of common people that what is the total number of Waqf properties in the country and what is their current estimated value?
Status of Waqf properties in India
Waqf properties in India are considered extremely important from religious, social and economic perspectives. These properties were given by the Muslim community for religious activities, mosques, cemeteries, madrasas and other charitable purposes. However, over time, there have been constant debates over the maintenance, use, and encroachment of these properties. Issues such as the number of these properties, their legal status and encroachment have made it a politically sensitive subject. Disputes, court cases and government interference are being reported on Waqf properties at various places, which raises many questions about their use and control.
What is the total land of Waqf? (Waqf Total Land)
According to government data, the Waqf Board currently has about 9.4 lakh acres of land registered. If we compare it with other government institutions, it is clear that the Ministry of Defense has 17.95 lakh acres of land, Indian Railways has about 12 lakh acres and the Waqf Board has 9.4 lakh acres. Thus, Waqf comes third in terms of land ownership in India.
Wakf land versus state territory
| Serial Number | State Wakf Board | Total Assets | Total Area (acres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andaman and Nicobar Wakf Board | 151 | 178.09 |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board | 14,685 | 78,229.97 |
| 3 | Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board (Shia) | 2,654 | 6,618.14 |
| 4 | Bihar State (Shia) Wakf Board | 1,750 | 29,009.52 |
| 5 | Bihar State (Sunni) Wakf Board | 6,866 | 169,344.82 |
| 6 | Chandigarh Wakf Board | 34 | 23.26 |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh State Wakf Board | 4,230 | 12,347.10 |
| 8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli Waqf Board | 30 | 4.41 |
| 9 | Delhi Waqf Board | 1,047 | 28.09 |
| 10 | Gujarat State Wakf Board | 39,940 | 86,438.95 |
| 11 | Haryana Wakf Board | 23,267 | 36,482.40 |
| 12 | Himachal Pradesh Wakf Board | 5,343 | 8,727.60 |
| 13 | Jammu and Kashmir Auqaf Board | 32,533 | 350,300.75 |
| 14 | Jharkhand State (Sunni) Wakf Board | 698 | 1,084.76 |
| 15 | Karnataka State Auqaf Board | 62,830 | 596,516.61 |
| 16 | Kerala State Wakf Board | 53,282 | 36,167.21 |
| 17 | Lakshadweep State Wakf Board | 896 | 143.81 |
| 18 | Madhya Pradesh Wakf Board | 33,472 | 679,072.39 |
| 19 | Maharashtra State Wakf Board | 36,701 | 201,105.17 |
| 20 | Manipur State Wakf Board | 991 | 10,077.44 |
| 21 | Meghalaya State Wakf Board | 58 | 889.07 |
| 22 | Odisha Wakf Board | 10,314 | 28,714.65 |
| 23 | Puducherry State Wakf Board | 693 | 352.67 |
| 24 | Punjab Wakf Board | 75,965 | 72,867.89 |
| 25 | Rajasthan Muslim Waqf Board | 30,895 | 509,725.57 |
| 26 | Tamil Nadu Wakf Board | 66,092 | 655,003.20 |
| 27 | Telangana State Wakf Board | 45,682 | 143,305.89 |
| 28 | Tripura Wakf Board | 2,814 | 1,015.73 |
| 29 | Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board | 15,386 | 20,483.00 |
| 30 | Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board | 2,17,161 | , |
| 31 | Uttarakhand Waqf Board | 5,388 | 21.80 |
| 32 | west bengal wakf board | 80,480 | 82,011.84 |
| Total | The sum of all states | 8,72,328 | 38,16,291.79 |
In the year 2009, the Vamsi portal was launched by the UPA government for digital records of Waqf properties. This portal is still the main source of information about immovable and movable properties of Waqf.
| Description | Number/Percentage |
|---|---|
| Total Fixed Assets | 8,72,805 |
| moveable assets | 16,716 |
| Properties located in 15 states | 97% of total |
| properties under encroachment | 58,890 |
| whose information is not available | 4,36,179 |
| Assets stuck in legal disputes | 13,000 |
| Disputed Assets | only 39% |
Distribution of waqf property
| Type of use | Number of properties |
|---|---|
| Graveyard | Around 1.5 Lakh |
| Mosque | 1.19 Lakh |
| Imambara / Ashoorkhana | 17,000 |
| In the name of madrassas | 14,000 |
| Mazaar and Dargah | 34,000 |
| commercial property | 1.13 Lakh |
| House | 92,000 |
| arable land | Around 1.4 Lakh |
Around 123 Waqf properties in Delhi had come under the control of the central government, which the UPA government returned to the Waqf Board. The matter is still in dispute today. Home Minister Amit Shah said in 2024 that: “From 1913 to 2013, the Waqf Board had 18 lakh acres of land. Between 2013 and 2025, this land increased by 21 lakh acres.” Thus the total land became 39 lakh acres. He also said that 20,000 properties that were earlier leased out became ‘zero’ in the records in 2025 because these properties were sold.
