Datanomics: SC gives ASI edge as Waqf stakes claim on 7% of monuments

SC upholds that ASI-protected monuments cannot be classified as Waqf property, impacting 254 sites nationwide, including major mosques and tombs under Waqf boards

The Supreme Court on September 15 refused to stay Section 3D of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 — which declares that any protected monument or protected area under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) cannot be classified as Waqf property.

 

This ruling effectively means that monuments protected by the ASI will remain outside the control of Waqf boards, but prospectively. Among the 3,697 monuments under the ASI, around 254 (6.9 per cent) are listed as Waqf properties. Waqf owns 872,985 immovable assets across the country.

 

States such as Delhi, Karnataka, and Gujarat account for the highest number of such protected monuments under the Waqf Board in India. 

  Half of the monuments are from Delhi and Agra 

 

  Famous monuments such as the Qutb Minar, Bibi ka Maqbara and Humayun’s Tomb recorded the highest footfalls in FY24.  

  Monuments with highest footfalls 

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