Antilia, the glamorous and lavish home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family, is in the news again — not for its extravagance or grandeur, but because of an old and contentious land battle. The Mumbai real estate property, valued at a reported ₹15,000 crore, is claimed to have been constructed on land belonging to the Waqf Board.
Claims of Waqf Land Sale Spark Controversy
According to a report published by TV9 Hindi, Mukesh Ambani bought about four and a half lakh square feet of land in the Parade Road locality of Mumbai from the Waqf Board in 2002 for about ₹21 crore. Yet, doubts regarding the legitimacy of this transaction persist.
The Maharashtra Legislature was shown an Action Taken Report (ATR), which reported that Waqf Board property cannot be sold for personal use. Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, Karim Bhai Ibrahim, the erstwhile owner, had allegedly donated the land to the Waqf Board to use for religious education and for constructing an orphanage.
This drastic shift in the use of the land for its initial intended purpose has sparked legal disputes. The issue has been waiting in the Supreme Court for decades, and if the ruling is against the Ambani family, they may have to leave the premises.
Waqf Law Gets Presidential Assent
Against such a background, President Droupadi Murmu recently gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The bill, earlier cleared by Parliament after heated debates, seeks to usher in transparency and accountability in Waqf property management.
“The following Act of Parliament was given the president’s assent on April 5, 2025, and is being published for general information: The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025,” read the official government notification.
The President also approved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, as per a news report by PTI.
As the political and judicial limelight gets more intense, Antilia continues to be the focal point of a historic and possibly high-stakes judicial judgment.