The chairman of reliance Industries, mukesh ambani, owns Antilia, a 27-story mansion on Mumbai's Altamount Road that is among the most opulent residences in India. The property is reported to be worth Rs 15,000 crore and spans 4,532 square meters. Antilia, which has long been associated with luxury and grandeur, is making headlines again, this time due to a new dispute regarding the property on which it was constructed.
Both the lok sabha and the rajya sabha have passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, which is currently pending the president's approval. The new law seeks to enhance the administration of Waqf estates, which are Islamic lands given for charitable or religious reasons.
The statute establishes contemporary methods for tracking and registering these lands.
Public dispute was sparked when AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi asserted during the law's discussion that the land Antilia is situated on actually belongs to a Waqf trust. Both Owaisi and former delhi chief minister arvind kejriwal claimed in old videos that the site was illegally sold and intended for a religious school and orphanage.
According to reports, Kareem Bhai Ibrahim initially donated the land to the Waqf Board in 1986. Mukesh Ambani then purchased the land for Rs 21.5 crore in 2002.
A Dainik bhaskar report, however, claims that the sale did not adhere to the correct Waqf Board protocols. A two-thirds majority of the Board should have approved the sale, but no formal meeting was called. Since only the Waqf Board had the power to authorize such a sale, the study also questioned why the Charity Commissioner became involved.
Devendra Fadnavis, the former chief minister of maharashtra, had promised that his government would act on the conclusions, but the case has been stalled in court for years. The inability to sell Waqf land for private use was another point raised by the maharashtra Assembly.
Calls for a peaceful resolution between the Waqf Board and the Kareem Bhai Trust have grown as the Waqf Amendment Bill approaches final approval. According to legal experts, the sale might have major legal repercussions if the land was actually Waqf property.
Ambani's family still resides in Antilia, which has opulent amenities like a spa, gym, private theater, helipad, temple, and swimming pool, despite the uproar. The home took about four years to build, from 2006 to 2010, and was designed by the American firm Perkins and Will.
Waqf land has been at the center of these kinds of disputes before. In 1950, the Waqf Board supervised 52,000 acres; by 2025, that amount had increased to almost 9.4 lakh acres. Conflicts over the ownership and sale of Waqf land are increasing in frequency as land values grow.
This lawsuit, which involves one of India's most influential families, may lead to a historic ruling in the future regarding the management of charity and religious properties.
Both the lok sabha and the rajya sabha have passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, which is currently pending the president's approval. The new law seeks to enhance the administration of Waqf estates, which are Islamic lands given for charitable or religious reasons.
The statute establishes contemporary methods for tracking and registering these lands.
Public dispute was sparked when AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi asserted during the law's discussion that the land Antilia is situated on actually belongs to a Waqf trust. Both Owaisi and former delhi chief minister arvind kejriwal claimed in old videos that the site was illegally sold and intended for a religious school and orphanage.
According to reports, Kareem Bhai Ibrahim initially donated the land to the Waqf Board in 1986. Mukesh Ambani then purchased the land for Rs 21.5 crore in 2002.
A Dainik bhaskar report, however, claims that the sale did not adhere to the correct Waqf Board protocols. A two-thirds majority of the Board should have approved the sale, but no formal meeting was called. Since only the Waqf Board had the power to authorize such a sale, the study also questioned why the Charity Commissioner became involved.
Devendra Fadnavis, the former chief minister of maharashtra, had promised that his government would act on the conclusions, but the case has been stalled in court for years. The inability to sell Waqf land for private use was another point raised by the maharashtra Assembly.
Calls for a peaceful resolution between the Waqf Board and the Kareem Bhai Trust have grown as the Waqf Amendment Bill approaches final approval. According to legal experts, the sale might have major legal repercussions if the land was actually Waqf property.
Ambani's family still resides in Antilia, which has opulent amenities like a spa, gym, private theater, helipad, temple, and swimming pool, despite the uproar. The home took about four years to build, from 2006 to 2010, and was designed by the American firm Perkins and Will.
Waqf land has been at the center of these kinds of disputes before. In 1950, the Waqf Board supervised 52,000 acres; by 2025, that amount had increased to almost 9.4 lakh acres. Conflicts over the ownership and sale of Waqf land are increasing in frequency as land values grow.
This lawsuit, which involves one of India's most influential families, may lead to a historic ruling in the future regarding the management of charity and religious properties.
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