Delhi Waqf Board Crisis: Three Years Without a Duly Constituted Board

NEW DELHI: More than three years after the tenure of the elected Delhi Waqf Board ended in August 2023, the statutory body responsible for protecting and managing Waqf properties in the national capital remains without a duly constituted board. What was initially a temporary administrative arrangement has turned into a prolonged vacuum, marked by changing administrators, disruptions in day-to-day functioning and continuing legal battles. The recent intervention came in September 2026, when the Delhi High Court sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government on a petition seeking the constitution of a fresh board. Justice Anish Dayal, in an order dated September 8, granted the authorities four weeks to file their replies. The matter is listed for further hearing on December 10. The petition argued that the continued absence of a board violates the statutory obligation to constitute one under the Waqf Act, as amended in 2025. The crisis began on August 26, 2023, when the tenure of the board chaired by AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan ended. Khan had led the board since November 2020, following earlier stints as chairperson. No new elected body was constituted after the expiry of its tenure. On January 10, 2024, the Delhi government appointed senior IAS officer Ashwani Kumar, then Principal Secretary (Home), as administrator until the board was reconstituted. However, the arrangement continued without a new board being constituted.