THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Dec 5: The Central government has extended the deadline for uploading details of Waqf properties on the UMEED portal by three months, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced.
Today (December 5) was the last date for uploading the details. The minister said the extension was approved in view of the memorandum submitted by MPs on December 4.
Rijiju stated that no punitive action will be taken against mutawallis for not uploading data on the UMEED portal during the extended three-month period. He said the decision was taken after considering the difficulties highlighted by several MPs in their memorandum.
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Under provisions of the Waqf Act, the authority to extend the deadline lies with the Tribunal. If difficulties persist even during the extended period, the matter may be taken to the Tribunal for further extension.
Notably, the Waqf Board had recently approached the Supreme Court seeking an extension, citing challenges in uploading property details. The Supreme Court, however, declined to extend the timeline and directed the Board to approach the Tribunal, since the Act empowers the Tribunal to issue such extensions.
Following the Supreme Court’s refusal, a delegation of MPs met Minister Rijiju and submitted a memorandum requesting an extension. The minister accepted their request and granted an additional three months.
The delegation included Dr. Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Maulana Mohibullah (SP), Imran Masood (Congress), Nasir Hussain (Congress), M.N. Haque (Trinamool Congress), Dr. Fauzia Khan (ACP), Arvind Sawant (UBT), M. Basheer (IUML), J. Mathur (Congress), Imran Pratapgarhi (Congress), Anil Kumar Yadav (Congress), S. Rajathi (DMK), among others.
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The memorandum submitted by the MPs said several technical and other difficulties had prevented uploading Waqf property details within the previous deadline. Most of the properties are located in rural areas, and many mutawallis are elderly and not familiar with computers, adding to the challenges.
The strict penalty and imprisonment provisions under the amended Waqf Act have caused further anxiety. Considering these issues, the MPs said extending the deadline was essential, as the government has the authority to do so.
