New Delhi, May 21 -- The Centre informed the Supreme Court that no individual can claim ownership over government land, asserting the government's statutory authority to reclaim properties declared as waqf by applying the principle of 'waqf by user'. The court exchange happened on the second day of hearing in Supreme Court on Waqf Bill.

"Nobody has the right over government land," the top law officer said.

"There is a Supreme Court judgment which says the government can save the property if it belongs to the government and has been declared as waqf," he said.

'Waqf by user' principle recognises a property as waqf based on its long-standing use for religious or charitable purposes, even in the absence of formal documentation.

Solicitor...