85,510 waqf properties in Bengal, only 18,497 approved while 3,509 rejected during UMEED verification: Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informs in Parliament

In the Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, 3,509 Waqf properties have been rejected during the verification on the UMEED Central Portal. Of the 85,110 existing waqf properties uploaded on the UMEED Portal, only 18,497 properties have been validated and approved. These figures were revealed by the Central Ministry of Minority Affairs in response to a query by Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya. Of 80,548 Waqf properties in West Bengal, only 23,091 uploaded on UMEED Portal: BJP MP questions reasons behind the shortfall and seeks info on action taken against defaulting authorities BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya had asked whether the Centre took note that out of 80,548 Waqf properties in West Bengal, only 23,091 were uploaded on the UMEED Portal before its closure on 06th December, 2025. He also questioned if this shortfall amounted to non-compliance with the statutory timeline prescribed under the UMEED framework and the reasons behind the low level of uploading by the West Bengal Waqf Board despite repeated reviews and capacity-building measures. The MP further inquired if any action has been taken or proposed against defaulting authorities, in addition to seeking information on the status, legal validity and future course of action for waqf properties that could not be uploaded within the prescribed period. Minister of Minority Affairs reveals 85,110 existing waqf properties in West Bengal initiated on UMEED Portal, 18,497 validated, while 3,509 properties rejected during verification In response to Samik Bhattacharya’s unstarred question, Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, provided a detailed response on 23rd March. Rijiju stated that on 6th June 2025, the statutory portal UMEED Central was launched, and it was mandated that details of all existing waqf and dedicated properties to waqf registered before the commencement of the amended Act shall be uploaded on the Portal within a period of six months, with a provision for further extension of up to six months by the Waqf Tribunal on sufficient cause being shown by the mutawalli. The minister added that the initial six-month period concluded on 6th June 2025, and the UMEED Portal was closed at 23:59 hours that day. Regarding West Bengal, the minister said that during the initial six months, “23,091 existing waqf properties were initiated by Makers on the Portal. Out of these, 716 properties were validated and approved by Approvers, while 161 properties were rejected during verification. The remaining were at various stages of uploading.” Rijiju added that extension of time was granted to the West Bengal State Board by the respective Waqf Tribunal. In respect of the West Bengal State Waqf Board, the UMEED Portal has been reopened for six months, that is, up to 24th June 2026. Giving details of the total number of Waqf properties-related data uploaded on UMEED, number of properties approved or rejected, the minister stated, “As on 17.03.2026, in respect of West Bengal, 85,110 existing waqf properties have been initiated on the Portal, out of which 18,497 properties have been validated and approved while 3,509 properties have been rejected during verification.” The Ministry of Minority Affairs further stated that the process of uploading, verification, and validation of Waqf property data is ongoing till 24th June, and various Waqf Boards, including West Bengal, have sought additional time for completion of the process. “Therefore, the final number of waqf properties and other related information, such as litigation, encroachments, categories, estimated values, etc., is ascertainable only after the entire process of uploading, verification and validation on the Portal is completed,” the Minority Affairs Minister stated in a written response. Meanwhile, the BJP has raised several questions over the massive number of rejections of Waqf properties in West Bengal during the verification process. BJP leader Amit Malviya took to X, and asked: “How did such a massive number of properties fail verification? Were these entries inaccurate, manipulated, or lacking proper documentation? Who is accountable for this glaring administrative failure? Even more alarming is the broader context, earlier, only a fraction of total Waqf properties in the state had been uploaded within the mandated timeline. Now, among those processed, thousands are being rejected.” Shocking revelations on Waqf properties in West Bengal!Out of the total Waqf properties uploaded for verification, 3,509 properties have been REJECTED during verification as of 17th March 2026.This raises serious and troubling questions:How did such a massive number of… pic.twitter.com/r7nW4qp71v— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 23, 2026 West Bengal’s consistent low participation in registering Waqf properties on the UMEED Portal Notably, the “Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025” were notified by the Modi government on 3rd July 2025. In April last year, a digital framework under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was implemented to manage Waqf properties through a centralised platform. The objective was to digitise records, enhance oversight, expedite audits and introduce transparency through different IDs. The Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal, which saw widespread protests and Muslim mob violence during the anti-Waqf Bill agitation, has consistently lagged in registering Waqf properties on the UMEED portal. In December 2025, it was reported that West Bengal registered only 716 assets out of 80,480 (0.89%) as the Muslim-appeasing TMC government remained reluctant to enforce the Waqf (Amendment) Act for months until recently, when it issued instructions to share details about these assets to the online platform.