The term "Waqf" denotes an endowment which is to be used solely for the purposes recognized under Islamic Law as pious, religious or charitable. Such an endowment which usually is a property, is managed by an administrator called mutawalli. The term ‘Mutawalli’ includes, a committee of management.
Since the year 1913 various Acts relating to the auqaf were passed by the Central and State legislators. Initially auqaf in the state of U.P. were governed by the U.P. Muslim Waqf Act, 1923 (XLII of 1923). However, the State of U.P. enacted U.P. Muslim Waqf Act, 1936 and under this Act, U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board was constituted for the governance, administration and supervision of auqaf in the State in the year 1942. The experience revealed that the administration of auqaf under the Act of 1936 was not upto the expectation of the community and the said Act was repealed and a new comprehensive U.P. Muslim Waqf Act, 1960 was enacted. To bring about uniformity in the administration of the auqaf throughout the country, the Central Government brought out the Waqf Act, 1995 which was implemented in the State of U.P. on 01.01.1996 and this Act was further amended in the year 2013.