Bengal U‑turn: Mamata govt implements centre’s Waqf Amendment Act, demands property details by Dec 6

Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): After staunchly opposing the Central Government's "Waqf Amendment Act 2025," the West Bengal government has finally backtracked. After months of delaying the law, the Mamata Banerjee government has accepted it and begun the process of implementing it in the state. The state government has issued strict instructions to all district magistrates to upload complete details of the state's approximately 82,000 Waqf properties to the central portal "Umeed" (umeedminority.gov.in) by the deadline of December 6, 2025. This decision has become a topic of discussion in political circles, as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had publicly declared that she would not allow the law to be implemented in Bengal at any cost.

The state administration, following the central government's directives, has begun the data entry process on a war footing. P.B. Salim, Secretary of the Minority Development Department, has issued an eight-point action plan in a letter to district magistrates. This directive clearly states that only details of uncontested properties should be uploaded to the central portal for now. The administration has ordered officials to hold meetings with imams, muezzins, and madrasa teachers to explain the new process and the nuances of the portal. Furthermore, wherever technical assistance is needed, facilitation centers have been set up and the work completed by December 6th without delay.

This administrative decision is significant because, when the bill was passed in Parliament in April this year, widespread protests erupted in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated clearly at an event on April 9th ​​that she would not allow the Waqf Amendment Act to be implemented in Bengal. She argued that the state has a 33 percent Muslim population and that it is the government's duty to protect them. However, the state government did not receive the expected relief on the legal front. Despite filing a petition in court, the decision did not come in the government's favor. Since Section 3B of the Act mandates uploading information about all registered Waqf properties on a central portal within six months, and the Supreme Court has not imposed any stay on implementation, the state administration ultimately had to relent.

It is noteworthy that the central government amended the Waqf Act of 1995 to form the Waqf Amendment Act of 2025. This amendment introduces significant changes, including the appointment of non-Muslim members to Waqf Boards and Tribunals and the government's final authority to declare a property as Waqf. These provisions were the source of controversy. However, under the state's revised rules, the Mutawallis (caretakers) of 8,063 Waqf properties in West Bengal will now be required to register details of their properties within a specified deadline. Senior state officials have confirmed that the administration is working diligently to meet the centrally set deadline.