In what stands as a pivotal moment in India’s legislative evolution, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — now officially titled the UMEED Act (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development) — has finally passed into law. This is not merely another amendment; it is a long-awaited legal reckoning aimed at restoring transparency, reinforcing constitutional principles, and bringing overdue justice to the governance of religious properties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s NDA government has taken a calculated yet courageous step, navigating decades of inertia with a reform that has been needed for far too long.

Contrary to the surrounding noise, this law is neither anti-minority nor does it stoke division. At its core, it is a pragmatic correction — a structured attempt to resolve the chaos and unchecked authority that has historically surrounded Waqf land claims. It strips away the fog of politics and focuses on real empowerment, especially for economically vulnerable Muslims, who have often been sidelined or hurt the most by the opaque functioning of Waqf institutions.

To grasp the weight of this reform, one needs to examine the historical context of Waqf in India. Before colonial legal frameworks, both Hindu and Muslim communities dealt with property, inheritance, and religious endowments through personalised, faith-based systems. That changed when the British introduced common law across the board. Their approach failed to account for nuances, particularly failing to recognise family-centred Waqfs, resulting in widespread legal confusion. Many of these disputes reached the Privy Council in London, highlighting the entanglement of the system.

The 1913 Musalman Waqf Validating Act was an early attempt at resolution.........

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