Following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill by both houses of Parliament, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has promptly taken action, instructing his cabinet and senior administrators to implement steps in line with the new legislation.
The state government plans to seize properties that were unlawfully declared as Waqf. In this context, District Magistrates across all districts have been directed to launch a coordinated campaign. Reports suggest that only 2,963 Waqf properties are officially registered in the Revenue Department’s records, while the rest were incorrectly classified as Waqf in violation of legal norms.
The government maintains that public assets and village society lands cannot be considered Waqf properties. However, numerous properties across the state have been arbitrarily labeled as Waqf and brought under the board’s ownership. These include structures such as barns, as well as natural resources like ponds and rivers.
