THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Kolkata, Nov 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has softened her stance on the Waqf law. Reports indicate that the TMC government has instructed all district magistrates in the state to upload details of approximately 82,000 Waqf properties on the central portal (umeedminority.gov.in) by December 6, 2025, the prescribed deadline, in compliance with the new Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.
Senior officials in West Bengal shared this information late Thursday evening. According to sources, the Modi-led central government has directed all states to submit details of all undisputed Waqf properties on the central portal by December 6.
Under Section 3B of the Act, it is mandatory to upload information of all registered Waqf properties on the central portal within six months, with the deadline expiring on December 6.
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This shift in Mamata Banerjee’s approach to the Waqf Amendment Act has come as a surprise, as she had previously been openly opposing the law. She had repeatedly stated in public that she would not allow the new Waqf law to be implemented in West Bengal.
When the bill was passed in Parliament in April, there were large-scale protests by the Muslim community in the state. On April 9, at a Jain community event, Mamata Banerjee had said, “Muslims constitute 33 per cent of the population here, and it is my duty to protect them. I will not let the Waqf Amendment Act be implemented in Bengal.”
The state’s Minority Affairs Department Secretary P.B. Salim has issued a letter to district magistrates with four key instructions. They have been asked to meet with imams, muezzins, and madrasa teachers to inform them about the uploading process. District magistrates have also been instructed to upload only undisputed properties on the portal.
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Notably, state governments cannot repeal or invalidate laws made by the central government. If a state has its own Waqf law that conflicts with the central law, the central law will prevail.
