After the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill in both houses of the parliament and the subsequent signing of it into a law by the President of India, startling revelations have come to the fore about the extent of illegality in Waqf management. A Hindustan Times report indicates that over 50% of the Waqf land in Maharashtra which spans over 92,247 acres is encroached.
“According to the figures with the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf (MSBW), around half the Waqf land in the state is encroached – a total 23,566 properties on 92,247 acres. The extent of encroachment is 60% in Marathwada, where the number of Waqf properties is highest, 15,877 properties on 57,133 acres, according to board” the report said.
The Maharashtra government has released a tender for the geo mapping (GIS) of these land parcels, expecting the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 to help them manage these properties better. Out of the 1088 legal cases under the Waqf Board, only 21 orders have been paased to remove encroachments, underscoring the lack of transparency in the Waqf Board functioning.
