The issue of illegal encroachment and arbitrary claims of public and government lands by Waqf Boards has become a serious concern in several states across India. Numerous reports indicate that thousands of acres of land, including entire villages, have been occupied or claimed as Waqf properties without legal documentation.
A report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf properties in Uttar Pradesh has highlighted the extent of this encroachment. According to the report, Ayodhya, Shahjahanpur, Rampur, Jaunpur, and Bareilly are among the worst-affected districts, with each having over 2,000 properties under Waqf claims despite being categorized as public-use lands in revenue records. The JPC report, submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, revealed that out of 2,589 Waqf-registered properties in Shahjahanpur, 2,371 are on government land. Similar discrepancies exist in Rampur, Ayodhya, Jaunpur, and Bareilly, amounting to a total of 57,792 government properties being registered under the Waqf Board in Uttar Pradesh.
The Waqf Boards often claim ownership without supporting documents in tehsil records. There are 40 districts in Uttar Pradesh where Waqf properties are registered without any official transfer records. These include Firozabad, Mathura, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Kanpur Dehat, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and others. In Kanpur, a government-ordered survey found that 548 out of 1,670 Waqf properties are illegally built on government land. Most of these are mosques, graveyards, shrines, and mausoleums, with 80% being used for religious purposes.
The issue is not limited to Uttar Pradesh. In Rajasthan, surveys have revealed that the ownership of 69 ancient temple lands is recorded under the Waqf Board, with properties spread across Bharatpur, Jhalawar, and Alwar. These findings have raised concerns about the legal status and transparency of Waqf property claims.
A 2024 report by the Central government stated that India has 8.72 lakh Waqf properties, of which 994 have been illegally transferred. Tamil Nadu alone accounts for 734 of these, while Rajasthan has 63. Additionally, only 3.3 lakh (37%) of Waqf properties have been digitized, leaving a large number of records unverified.
The growing number of Waqf claims on government and public properties has prompted various state governments to conduct surveys and take legal action. The issue remains a contentious one, requiring policy intervention and legal scrutiny to ensure fair and lawful land ownership.