Will the Ambani family have to vacate their luxury residence Antilia? new developments spark discussions

MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, and his family reside in Antilia, a lavish residence in Mumbai that frequently makes headlines. The mansion was built at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore. Now, Antilia is once again the center of attention on social media due to controversies related to Waqf. Allegations that the building was constructed on land owned by the Waqf Board have been circulating for years, and recent remarks by figures, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, have gone viral.

Let’s take a look at the facts behind these claims. The Waqf Amendment Bill was recently passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Antilia is located on Pedder Road in Mumbai, and there have been persistent claims that it was built on land under the ownership of the Waqf Board. Mukesh Ambani reportedly purchased the 4.5 lakh square foot land in 2002 for Rs 21 crore. In 2005, the Waqf-related matter was taken to court.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has also held multiple discussions regarding this issue. In 1986, a man named Kareem Bhai Ibrahim donated the land—where Antilia now stands—to the Waqf Board, with the intention of building a religious education center and an orphanage. The Waqf Board later sold this land to Mukesh Ambani. A national media outlet had earlier reported that Ambani did not follow proper legal procedures while acquiring the land. Then-Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government would take action based on the findings of the report.

According to a report presented in the Maharashtra Assembly, land under the control of the Waqf Board should not be sold for private use. Multiple legal cases related to the matter are still ongoing. In 1950, the Waqf Board in India had only 52,000 acres of land under its control. By 2025, the land under the Waqf Board's control has increased to 9.4 lakh acres.