Is Mukesh Ambani’s Rs 15,000 Crore Antilla built on a Waqf Property?

Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire chairman of Reliance Industries, owns one of India’s most expensive homes - a 27-storey mansion called Antilia. It’s located in one of the most expensive areas of Mumbai, on Altamount Road. the Antilia, a grand 27-storey mansion spread across 4,532 square meters of land.

Antilia is once again under legal and political discussion. A new law – the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 – has passed both Houses of Parliament and is now waiting for the President to approve it. As the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 passes both Houses of Parliament and awaits the President’s assent, public discourse has revived a long-standing controversy about whether Antilia was built on land once owned by a Waqf trust. This has raised new questions about land ownership, management, and the future of urban real estate tied to religious trusts.

The Lok Sabha passed the Bill late Wednesday night, and the Rajya Sabha approved it early Friday after a heated discussion. The Bill was revised based on suggestions from a Joint Parliamentary Committee that had reviewed the original proposal made in August last year. Its goal is to improve how Waqf properties are managed in India by updating the Waqf Act of 1995.

The Bill aims to make Waqf Boards work better by improving how properties are registered and managed using modern technology. As news about this law spreads, Mukesh Ambani and his home – said to be worth around Rs 15,000 crore – are being talked about again.

Old videos are going viral on social media, including ones with AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In the clips, they claim that the Waqf Board owns the land Antilia was built on. Many people online have also asked the AI tool Grok about this issue. According to Grok, the land was once owned by an orphanage and was sold in 2002.

A report from Dainik Bhaskar, shared by Oneindia Hindi, said that a decade ago, the Waqf Board submitted a report claiming that the land sale to Mukesh Ambani did not follow proper procedures. At that time, Devendra Fadnavis, then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, said his government would act based on the report’s findings.

The report stated that the Waqf Board should have approved the land sale with a two-thirds majority vote. However, no official meeting took place. It also questioned the role of the Charity Commissioner, saying only the Waqf Board had the authority to approve such a sale.

The Maharashtra Assembly later said Waqf land cannot be sold for private use. The case has been in court for many years. Now, it’s being suggested that the Waqf Board and the Kareem Bhai Trust should work together to settle the matter peacefully.

Mukesh Ambani bought the 4,532 square metre plot in 2002 for Rs 21.5 crore. At that time, there were already claims that the land belonged to the Waqf Board. According to a report presented to the Maharashtra Assembly, Kareem Bhai Ibrahim gave the land to the Waqf Board in 1986 for an orphanage and a religious school. Eventually, the land was sold to Ambani.

Land disputes involving the Waqf Board are not new in India. In 1950, the Board had about 52,000 acres of land. By 2025, that number has grown to over 9.4 lakh acres.

Today, Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita, and their family live in Antilia. The mansion has 27 floors and includes a gym, spa, private cinema, terrace garden, swimming pool, helipad, temple, and medical facilities. The house was designed by the Chicago firm Perkins and Will and was built between 2006 and 2010. It’s believed to be worth around Rs 15,000 crore.